Mind Over Matter
by marinawings
Summary: This is a story about what would happen if I was on Deep Space Nine. Julian Bashir and I fall in love and the Dominion wants me for my mind powers. Romance, adventure, and chaos ensue.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: I am not the biggest expert on Deep Space Nine, but I love the show, always have since I was like, ten years old. I read a fanfic once where someone had put himself in one of his favorite games, so I thought I'd try that out with DS9. The character Marina Richardson is entirely based upon myself (except for the mind powers part).

Chapter One

The Promenade was busy, as usual, and everyone was going about their normal business.

Jake Sisko stood on the upper level, looking down at the people below, trying to get ideas and characters for his latest story. Nothing was giving him inspiration.

"Same old, same old," he muttered to himself, leaning lazily on the railing.

Then, something caught his eye. Five Starfleet officers whom he had never seen before were walking into the Promenade. Then her remembered his father saying something about some new officers coming to the station. Jake leaned further over the rail to get a better look at the newcomers.

Four of them grouped together, talking and laughing as they walked to the middle of the floor. The fifth stood apart, a girl, walking with her eyes downcast. Jake turned his attention to her and smiled. She would make a perfect character for his new story!

The girl was tall and slim with a curvaceous figure and long blonde hair tied back in a braid. She looked down as she walked, but there was a feminine grace in her movements. Her ears were delicately pointed, but she looked neither Vulcan nor Romulan in any other way. She was by no means gorgeous, but she was pretty, and there was something fascinating about the way she moved, the way she glanced around. She suddenly stopped walking and looked up--straight at Jake, as if she realized he was watching her.

He smiled sheepishly and waved.

The girl's face broke into a smile, her former air of sadness lifting. She gave him a small, almost shy, wave.

"Come on, Marina!" one of the young men she had arrived with called.

Giving Jake an apologetic smile, she hurried to catch up with the others.

Jake straightened, smiling. "Marina…" he said quietly. "Now there's a heroine for my next novel." And he left the Promenade, hoping to get a chance to speak with the young officer later that day.

(LINE)

"Have any of you seen the new kids?"

Miles O'Brien frowned and gave his friend a sideways glance. "New kids? What are you talking about?"

Dr. Julian Bashir leaned back in his chair and glanced around Quark's bar, looking for the subjects of his query. "The new officers. The Starfleet graduates. They were supposed to arrive today."

"Oh, yes. Those. I'm not getting a new engineer, so I didn't pay much attention to that report."

"I hear that one of them writes programs for holo-suites," Jadzia Dax spoke up. "_That _should get your attention."

Miles sat up straight. "It did. How do _you _know this?"

"I have ways of finding things out." She took a sip of her drink.

Major Kira Nerys slipped into the chair next to Dax. "So… has anyone met the new officers?"

"No," everyone replied.

"Oh. Well, here comes Odo, and he certainly has." She nodded towards the bar's entrance.

"We shall have to question him," Julian said, resting his elbows on the table.

Odo walked slowly to the table, his eyes cautiously scanning the room for any signs of trouble.

"We hear you've talked to the newcomers," Dax blurted out as soon as he had reached them.

Miles pulled out a chair beside of him. "Yes, why don't you sit down and tell us about them?"

Odo looked dubiously at the others. "I do have a job to do, you know, and it does not involve gossip."

"Oh, it won't be gossip," Julian spoke up. "It will be for the security of the station if you inform us, the core group, what to watch for from the new officers."

Kira smiled at Odo. "Please."

"Oh, all right." The changeling settled himself in the chair and looked around at his friends. "What is it that you are dying to know?"

"Names, ages, ranks, areas of work--everything," said Dax.

"Everything?" Odo sighed. "All right. There are five of them, as you should know. Three males and two females. All humans, except one--and she is mostly human, anyway."

"Mostly?" Julian asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Lieutenant Marina Richardson, science officer. She is half human, one fourth Vulcan, and one fourth Betazoid," Odo explained. "She is the youngest of the officers, at twenty-two. She has a spotless record, no crimes committed, not even a traffic violation on Earth, which is where she is from."

"Betazoid and Vulcan? What a combination," Kira remarked.

"If I'm not mistaken, such mixtures of blood have been known to affect the brain," Julian said, frowning. "Such people as this Lt. Richardson are often know to have, well, 'mind powers.'"

"She does have a condition," Odo said. "What did she call it? Psychogena… something that starts like that."

"Psychogenotrosis," Julian said quickly. "Mind powers caused by a volatile mixture of blood. The Vulcan mindmeld meets Betazoid empathy."

"Why don't you use her condition as an excuse to talk to her?" Dax suggested.

"Yes, and then you could bring everything you learn back to us," Miles added.

"Here's your chance, Dr. Bashir," Odo spoke up, standing. "Here she comes now."

Julian turned in his seat and looked. A group of young officers was walking into the bar. He immediately found Lt. Richardson--the tall, blonde girl with the pointed ears. That _had _ to be her. "Well, here I go." He stood slowly.

"You aren't really going to go question the girl, are you!" Kira exclaimed. "You'll scare her to death!"

"Don't worry, major," Miles said. "He knows how to handle the ladies."

Julian smiled. "Watch this."

(LINE HERE)

Marina paused for a moment and looked around the bar, taking in everything. There were so many voices, so much movement, so many thoughts… She shut it all off and tried to concentrate on walking to the table with the others.

"What's the matter, Marina?" asked security officer Tom Barnett.

"You know I don't drink," Marina said quietly, following him and the others to the table and sitting down. "And all this… noise…"

"Is is your condition?" asked the other girl, a tiny brunette girl named Hannah West.

"Maybe… I don't know." Marina was quiet as her fellow newcomers began chatting. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

"Lt. Richardson?"

Her green eyes flew opened and she sat up straight. Standing beside her chair was a dark, handsome man in medical colors. "Yes. That's me."

"I'm Dr. Julian Bashir, chief medical officer." He held out his hand, smiling crookedly. "But you can just call me Julian."

"And you can call me Marina." She shook his hand and smiled at him, feeling nervous, but at the same time happy. Someone actually wanted to meet her! She suddenly noticed that everyone else at her table had gone silent. They were all staring at her and the doctor.

Julian must have noticed. "Come with me," he said quietly. His big, dark eyes were kind. "There are some people who would like to meet you."

Marina stood, still holding his hand. "All right." She smiled brightly. "Lead the way."


	2. Reactions

I made up psychogenotrosis… I think. To test and see if the name sounded real enough, I started talking to my family members about this new condition where you can inherit weird psychological quirks called psychogenotrosis and they actually believed me! If I hadn't told them I made it up, they'd still think it existed--and probably think I have it, lol.

Chapter Two

Marina let Julian lead her to a large round table near the bar. It was crowded with a variety of races.

"Crew, meet Lt. Marina Richardson," Julian said with flourish, motioning to the girl.

"Hi!" exclaimed the brunette Trill cheerfully. "Jadzia Dax."

"I'm Major Kira Nerys. Welcome to the station." The Bajoran woman nodded to Marina.

"Chief Miles O'Brien. Say, I hear one of you newcomers works with holo-suite programs. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" asked the red-haired man.

Marina beamed. "Actually… yes, it would happen to be me."

"Well, I thought maybe you could--"

Julian quickly interrupted. "I think we should let Marina sit down and tell us a little about herself before we start bossing her around." He glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

Marina smiled back at him gratefully. "Thank-you," she whispered. She suddenly realized that they were still holding hands. Blushing furiously, she withdrew her hand from his and sat in the chair he had pulled out for her.

Julian stood behind her chair for a moment, feeling oddly dazed. Why had he held her hand for that long? Mentally shaking himself, he sat between Marina and Miles. "I hear you've met Constable Odo," he said, motioning to the constable, who was watching Quark like a hawk.

"Yes. He seems nice."

"He is," Julian said, picking up his glass. He took a sip, then looked around the table. Everyone was silent, awkwardly so. "So… Marina… tell us about yourself. I hear you have psychogenotrosis." As soon as the words were out, he winced at their abruptness.

But Marina did not seem to mind. "Yes, I do. My father is half human, half Vulcan, and my mother is half human, half Betazoid. Kind of a strange combination. That's why I can sense things and read people."

"Elaborate," Miles said, lifting his glass to her.

"Well, I guess you could say I have a sixth sense." Marina linked her fingers and placed her hands on the table, then realized that Julian was doing the same thing. Trying hard not to blush, she slipped her hands back into her lap. "It's sort of like a for-knowledge of events. I can tell when bad things are going to happen, and sometimes good things, too. And I can read people very well, pick up on their emotions." _Good Lord, I'm rambling,_ she thought.

"Nice," Dax spoke up.

"Yes, it is. Most of the time."

"What would the young lady like to drink?"

Marina looked up. A Ferengi man was standing beside her chair. "I'll just take water, please," she said shyly.

"Water? Leave it to a human to order the cheapest thing on the menu." The Ferengi shook his head. "I'm Quark, by the way. I own this bar. You should come here often. And order something other than water."

Marina smiled winningly at him. "I'll take you up on that," she said.

"But just water this time?"

"Just water."

"Oh, all right." He walked off towards the bar, shadowed by Odo.

"So… you're a science officer?" Kira asked.

"Like me," Dax added.

"Yes."

"And you create holo-suite programs?" Miles asked eagerly.

Marina laughed softly. "Yes, I do. I love the arts and sciences. In fact, I love literature and art more than I love science, but… I don't know. I guess I just thought I could go farther in science."

"Literature?" Julian leaned towards her. "How would you like to join the chief and myself in the holo-suite sometime to act out some epic story?"

"I would love it!" Marina's green eyes lit up.

"Hey, Julian, she could even _write _out stories!" Miles exclaimed with a laugh.

"Certainly." Marina smiled. Finally, she was fitting in.

"Sick bay to Bashir."

Julian frowned, then tapped his communicator. "Go ahead."

"We've got some really sick people who need to see you."

Julian stood, flashing Marina an apologetic smile. "All right, on my way." He tapped his communicator again. "I'll see the rest of you later." He touched Marina lightly on the shoulder. "You, too, right?"

"Yes. I hope so." She smiled crookedly at him, glad that Starfleet uniforms had long sleeves. _Good thing he didn't see the goose bumps I got when he touched me…_

__

She really is something, Julian thought. _Wait… did I just think what I thought I thought? _He turned and started walking towards sick bay--fast.

Marina could not help but watch him walk out of the bar. What easy grace, what style…

"Did I just hear you sigh?" Dax asked.

Marina jerked her gaze from Julian's disappearing form. Dax was smiling. "Did I sigh?"

Kira was looking at her sideways. "Did I just hear you sigh over… _Julian_?"

"I… don't… know…" Marina felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Leave the poor girl alone!" Miles exclaimed. "Julian's my best friend. There's nothing wrong with him. Of course girls are attracted to him. Why, he's even genetically--"

"Chief," Dax hissed.

Marina frowned, wondering what Miles had been about to say.

Miles suddenly realized that if this girl was interested in Julian, then she would have to find out the doctor's secret for herself. Dax was right. "Well, I'd best be getting on to my quarters. Keiko and Molly and Yoshi will be waiting." He quickly stood and left.

Marina found herself suddenly flanked by Dax and Kira.

"So… you like Julian?" Dax asked eagerly.

"I--I just met him."

"What does your sixth sense say about him?" Kira added.

At first Marina thought the major was joking, but Kira's brown eyes were serious. This was a woman Marina could trust. "It likes him," Marina said quietly. "I sense that he is a good man, passionate about something… his work, perhaps. I like passion in a man." She stopped, blushing.

"Go on!" Dax prodded.

Marina looked at her two new friends. Both women seemed sincerely curious, and interested in what Marina had to say. But… "You won't tell him this, will you?"

"No," they answered in unison.

"Even if I wanted to, I probably wouldn't get in a word edgewise with him," Kira said dryly. "Sometimes he just won't shut up."

Marina laughed lightly.

"Go on," Dax repeated.

"I sense that he is lonely," Marina said. "That was the easiest thing to sense. I think that's because it's a feeling I share with him. If I share a feeling with someone, it's easier to find it in them."

"Sounds like this sense of yours is pretty good."

The three women turned around.

"What?" Quark set a glass of water in front of Marina. "Just because I'm a male doesn't mean I don't understand people. I'm a bartender! Of course Julian's lonely. Of course he is passionate about his job. And say… lieutenant, maybe you and I can reach an arrangement of some sort. Your mind powers would be very useful to a man like me."

Marina just stared at him, not sure what to say.

"Quark. Go away," Kira said through her teeth.

The Ferengi shrugged and walked off, planning to waylay Marina at a later time about his idea.

"Anyway," Dax said, "I think you and the doctor would make a cute couple. A dark haired man and a blonde-haired woman. Both of you are intellectuals. Both of you love literature and holo-suites. It's perfect."

"They only just met, Jadzia," Kira reminded her.

"I know. But think, Nerys. Wouldn't it be sweet?"

Marina smiled and thought, _Yes. It would._

(LINE HERE)

Standing by a new patient's bed in sick bay, the object of the three female's conversation felt a sense of dread wash over him. Something was very wrong with the four people who had just been brought in. Something was wrong with their minds.

As he studied the readings on his equipment, Julian realized that this sudden outbreak of headaches and nausea was an allergic reaction. It was relieving that it was rare, not life-threatening, and non-contagious, but… What were these people allergic to?

"Doctor, what's wrong with me?" asked one of the patients, Tom Barnett, one of the new security officers.

"It's an allergic reaction, Tom, but to what I can't tell." Julian gave the young man a reassuring smile, then administered a pain reliever. As Tom drifted off to sleep, Julian sat down to study his readings. A brain allergy? This was something entirely new to him. He glanced back at the four sleeping officers, then suddenly realized something.

All four of them had been in the bar when Marina had entered. In fact, Tom had been with her. And all four of them had left soon after being seated. Was it just a coincidence? Was there something in the bar that they were allergic to?

Suddenly, looking at the charts, he discovered something else. These people were allergic to some sort of brain waves. All the signs pointed to it…

__

Oh, God.

Julian quickly tapped his communicator. "Dr. Bashir to Constable Odo."

"Yes?"

"Odo, go get Marina--Lt. Richardson--and bring her to sick bay at once."

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes."

"Is Richardson in danger?"

"Dear God, I hope not."


	3. Treatments

Chapter Three

Marina had just left the bar and just stepped into her quarters when there was a beep at the door. She quickly spun around. Someone had to have followed her. "C-come in," she called.

The door slid open. There stood Constable Odo.

"Constable, is anything wrong?" Marina asked worriedly.

Odo was temporarily distracted by Marina's quarters. It looked as if she had unpacked little else but paintings and other wall-hangings. The paintings were beautiful, mostly of medieval scenes and fantasy scenes, with a few of modern spaceships and planets. Most were in shades of blue and green. Odo quickly tore his gaze from them. "Yes, lieutenant, something is wrong. It would seem that a small number of the population of this station are… well, allergic to your condition."

Marina frowned. She felt her stomach knot up, as if she were on a roller coaster. "Allergic? To… me?"

"Yes." Odo seemed uncomfortable. "I'll let the doctor explain. Come with me. Bashir wants you in sick bay."

Bashir…

"Of course I'll come," Marina said quickly, stepping forward. She followed Odo into the hallway, asking the computer to dim the lights and lock the door on her way out.

(LINE)

Julian looked up, a sad smile on his face. "Ah. Marina. Odo."

"I'll just leave her with you, doctor," Odo said.

"That will be fine, thank-you," Julian replied.

Marina stood awkwardly just within the door, biting her lip.

"Come in, Marina." Julian turned back to his instruments.

Marina slowly walked to his side, feeling horrible. "I am so sorry," she suddenly burst out. "I had no idea I could do this to people. I--I think maybe… Should I leave the station?"

Julian frowned at her. "No. Not just yet. I'm working on something."

Marina peered deeper into the room. "Oh no! Is that Barnett? He's such a nice guy! I can't believe I did this to him!" She started to go to Tom's bedside.

"No!" Julian quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. "No," he said more gently. "It will make them worse."

"Why don't I make _you_ sick?" Marina asked quietly. She felt like crying, but would not dare do that in front of anyone--especially in front of someone she was as attracted to as she was to this man.

"It's only certain people, people who have the bad luck to have just the right brain make-up for their brain waves to see yours as a threat to them," Julian explained. "I think if I could locate a certain mitochondria in your cerebellum…" He trailed off and started muttering to himself, his hazel eyes intent on his readings.

Marina watched him type things into his computer, then turned to look at the beds far across sick bay. _What have I done?_ She crossed her arms and started pacing. _I know what I've done. I've made these people sick. And more will get sick if I don't leave. That's right--leave. I don't care what Julian says. I have to get out of here. Didn't I hear Hannah mention some cargo shuttle leaving the station today? That's it! I'll sneak on it and leave this station--and Starfleet--forever! _She quickly glanced at Julian. He was very intent on what he was doing. She reached out with her thoughts and gently touched his. His thoughts were all on finding a way to remedy the allergic reactions.

Ever so quietly, Marina started tiptoeing towards the door.

"Stop."

Marina groaned inwardly and turned around. Julian was still looking at the readings.

"If you try to leave this station, I'll have you put under watch," Julian said quietly, still not looking at her. "It's not your fault these people are sick. And I _will_ find a way to cure them--and block whatever it is that causes these reactions. You have no reason to leave." A slow smile lit up his face. "And besides, you have a reason to stay."

Marina could not help but smile. She could listen to that British accent forever. Wait…_a reason to stay?_ "I have a reason to stay?" she asked, feeling stupid.

Julian spun in his chair to face her, linking his fingers in that gesture they both shared. He was still smiling. "I want to get to know you. And I'm _sure_ you want to get to know _me._"

Marina stared at him, eyes wide, then smiled. "Yes. I must admit, I _am _quite curious about you."

"Good. Then it's settled. You're staying." He gave her a smug smile, then turned back to his work. "Come over here. I need to do a scan of your brain."

Two Days Later:

"This should do it." Julian gently slid the clip into Marina's golden hair. "Not only will it block the brain waves that tend to hurt people, but it will also go perfectly with your uniform." He beamed at her proudly.

"Thank-you!" Marina exclaimed, hopping up from the sick bay chair. She reached up to touch the hair clip. "You're a genius."

Julian shrugged. "What can I say?"

Marina suddenly felt like hugging him, but decided against it. She might scare him. So instead… she stood there.

Julian cleared his throat. "Well, I think I'll go check on the patients. They should get well very soon."

"Good," Marina said quietly.

Julian abruptly took her hand. "You've been a model lab rat," he said, winking.

Marina laughed and squeezed his hand. "Thank-you. I've always wanted someone to say that."

He grinned at her, holding her hand to his chest, then suddenly released her hand and went to check on the patients. "You can go back to your station, now," he called back to her. "I'll see you later."

"I'll see you sooner!" Marina replied. She quickly left sick bay and headed towards her post. She and her fellow science officers were working with the engineers on a new science tricorder, and she didn't want to miss a moment of it.

But as soon as she was in the hall, she was waylaid--by two different people!

"About that proposition with you helping me--"

"Lt. Richardson, I hear you have mind powers…"

Marina held up her hands. First she pointed to Quark. "You--I don't know how I can help you. I don't know what you even mean by 'that proposition.' We haven't discussed anything!"

"Might I say that your hair clip looks very nice?"

"What do you want?"

"I just thought maybe your mind skills could be helpful in my bar," Quark said. "You could scan each customer and tell me which ones have the most money, which ones lie, which ones cheat, which ones have hostile intent towards me…"

"You want me to be a bouncer?" Marina asked incredulously.

"If you must put things in crude human terms--yes," he replied.

"No," Marina said. "And again--no."

"But--"

"She said no. Didn't you hear her?" the other guy spoke up.

"All right, all right. But… if you ever change your mind, tell me." He stalked off.

"And who are you?" Marina asked the young black guy.

"Jake Sisko, at your service. The captain's son."

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you." She shook his hand. "I must be going. I have to get to my post." She started to walk past him, then stopped. "You can walk with me if you like."

"All right." Jake held up his writing pad and pen. "Tell me about yourself."

"You a writer?" Marina asked, smiling at him.

"Yes."

"Me, too!" she exclaimed.

"Incredible!" Jake fairly skipped beside her. "What do you write?"

"Mostly fantasy stuff, actually. I'm a big fan of those old fantasy epics."

Jake scribbled furiously. "Tell me, lieutenant, how long have you been writing?"

Marina smiled. It felt good to be interesting.

(LINE)

Tired, but satisfied with herself, Marina entered her quarters at the end of her working day. The work with the tricorder had gone well. In fact, she herself had come up with half the codes to program into it, and her team had been very proud of her. Things were going well.

"Computer. Lights."

The lights came on, and Marina groaned. She still had lots of unpacking to do. The only things she had unpacked were her paintings and wall-hangings, and some of her clothes. And her books of course. Sighing, she stepped forward and started unpacking.

She had nearly finished when there was a beep at the door.

"Come in." She stood up and brushed a few strands of loose hair. Then she decided to take her hair down.

Just as she had ripped out her hair tie, Julian stepped in. He stopped, one eyebrow raised. "Catch you with your hair down, did I?"

Marina blushed. "Yes, I guess you did."

"Unpacking?"

"Yes."

Julian cleared his throat. "I just thought I would invite you to come with the chief and me to the holo-suite."

"I'd love to." She smiled at him.

"Are you feeling all right?" He took a step forward, peering intently at her.

"Yes. I'm fine. Why?"

"Your face is red and you're breathing rapidly." He stepped even closer.

"I must be worn out from all the unpacking," Marina said quietly. _Oh no. My sleeves are rolled up. If he comes one step closer, he's going to see the goose bumps._

"Let me check your pulse." Julian stood very close now. He gently took her wrist and placed his fingers on her pulse. Staring straight into her eyes, he said quietly, "I think something has excited you."

Marina laughed nervously. "I've always had a rather rapid heartbeat."

"Then I shall kiss it and make it better."

Marina's eyes went wide as he lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed it.

Julian smiled crookedly at her.

"Better?"

"No. It's much worse," Marina heard herself say. "I'd say about a hundred and fifty beats a minute."

"Then the treatment will have to be much more extensive." He suddenly had both her hands in his.

_I've only known this girl for a few days! _he thought. _I'm falling for her too fast!_

_I've only know this guy for a few days!_ she thought. _Well, I always did believe in love at first sight…_

Julian felt hypnotized. He couldn't help it. He leaned forward, closing his eyes.

Marina tilted her face up towards his.

"Julian? Are you in there?" There was a pounding at the door.

"Yes, chief." Julian rocked back on his heels and sighed, annoyed.

"With Marina?"

"Yes. With Marina."

"Well you two slow pokes get out here. England is waiting for her champions!"

Marina laughed, not taking her eyes from Julian's. "Shall we answer the summons?"

"We shall." He still held her hands. "And afterward, you can tell me all about these paintings and you can show Miles all your holo-suite programs."

"Sounds like a deal," Marina said. She felt like she was smiling so hard, her face would crack.

"And we can work on fixing your heart," Julian whispered, leading her towards the door.

_Just what does he mean by that?_ Marina felt butterflies in her stomach as she followed Julian and Miles down the hall. She was suddenly worried. Did Julian take her seriously? Or was he looking for the wrong kind of love? Marina tossed her hair over her shoulder. There was only one kind of love any man would ever get from her--the true kind, the real stuff. No one was going to play games with her or use her. She glanced at Julian, and his smile made her heart do flips in her chest. Could she trust him with that all-important organ?


	4. Turning from the Mirror

Thanks to all my faithful readers and reviewers! You guys make me so happy by reviewing that it inspires me to write more!

Chapter Four

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that Marina galloping across the field killing the French?" Miles called to Julian as he parried a blow with his sword.

"Hang on. Let me dispatch of this knight." Julian quickly finished off the man he had been fighting, then looked where Miles was pointing. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Your eyes play no tricks. It's her."

"What's she doing? She's supposed to be at the castle!"

"Well the battle's almost over." Julian ducked a blow and delivered one of his own. "In fact, I think the French are about to surrender, hurried on by their own princess."

The French did indeed surrender, and the casualty report was brought to King Henry the Fifth, also known as Dr. Julian Bashir. But this time, the report was different. More French had died, and no English.

"That little woman slaughtered three of her own cousins," Miles whispered to Julian as Marina rode up on horseback, resplendent in a pink silk dress and a pearly circlet.

Marina was smiling and panting, her long hair in disarray. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" she managed. She took a few deep breaths, then frowned. Miles was frowning at her and Julian looked as if he was about to laugh. "What? What is it?"

"You're--you're Katherine!" Miles exclaimed. "You're French!"

"I know." She bit her lip. "I couldn't help it. I had to get out here. I was getting lonely in the castle. And I can't believe I missed Julian giving the St. Crispin's Day speech!"

"You should have been there. It was my best yet," Julian said, smiling crookedly and trying not to laugh.

"But--but--You killed your cousins!" Miles cried.

Marina looked behind her at the line of dead bodies she had left behind. "Oh. Well…" She shrugged. "I guess I'm defecting."

Julian burst out laughing.

Miles elbowed him. "It's not funny. She messed up the story." He turned to glare at Marina, but couldn't. She looked innocent and angelic, sitting wide-eyed on the horse in that flowing pink dress. Innocent except for the bloody sword she had filched from some unlucky Frenchman. He couldn't help but chuckle.

Marina looked sheepish. "I'm sorry. I don't usually go berserk like this, but those holographic servants in the castle were starting to get on my nerves, and I was getting lonely."

Miles elbowed Julian. "Lonely for you," he muttered.

Julian ignored him and stepped forward. "My lady, let us head on to the next scene," he said with a bow.

Marina smiled at him. "All right."

And the story resumed--this time going as it was supposed to.

(LINE)

"That was fun wasn't it?" Marina said as she walked down the hall of the habitat ring with Julian and Miles.

"It certainly was," Julian replied, smiling at her. He studied her closely. The pale pink of her dress matched the slight blush in her cheeks. "You make a wonderful princess."

"Thank-you, my king." Marina giggled.

"We're close to my quarters now, so I'll go ahead and say good-night to the two of you," Miles spoke up. "Keiko and the children are waiting."

They stopped at the door to his quarters and said good-night, then Julian and Marina continued walking.

Marina was suddenly quiet, feeling nervous. Julian was talking to her about something, some project he was working on, but she was only half listening. As she looked at him, studied his dark hazel eyes, she remembered her earlier thoughts. Could she trust him with her heart?

"Marina. Marina! We just passed your door!" Julian stopped walking and gently took hold of her arm. He studied her face carefully. "Are you feeling all right?"

She blushed lightly. "Sorry. I was just thinking…"

Julian's thumb brushed her upper arm. "What were you thinking about?"

Marina bit her lip. "Well…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He gently led her to stand in front of her door.

"I _do _want to tell you. I just don't know how." Marina looked down, frowning, trying to think of how to tell him that she would take nothing but a serious relationship with him. She was too deeply attracted to him to have a casual relationship with him. And besides, she had always been something of a traditionalist--at least, in most matters. She smiled at the thought. She certainly hadn't been in the holo-suite, swinging that sword…Of course, she had unconsciously been trying to get Julian's attention…_ Good Lord, I even ramble in my thoughts…_

"You were trying to get my attention with that sword-slinging stunt you pulled in the holo-suite?" Julian asked suddenly.

Marina looked up at him, her eyes wide. "I didn't say that."

"But you thought it." Julian gripped her upper arms. "Marina, I think I just heard you thinking."

"Oh my gosh."

"My thoughts exactly."

They just stood there for a moment.

Then Julian said, "I'm certainly not allergic to your brain waves, but… Has anyone else been able to _pick up_ on them?"

"No. Never." Marina shook her head. "We must be on the same frequency."

"Is it possible that you mind-melded with me, in a way, without physically touching me?" Julian asked. His voice was intense.

"I--I don't know."

"Marina, were you thinking hard… of me?"

"Well, I--"

"Don't be shy. Just tell me."

"Yes."

He released her, and they stood staring at each other for a moment.

"Marina, I think we just made a scientific discovery," Julian said quietly, his eyes wide and over-bright. "We've just discovered that psychogenotrons can mind-meld with someone by just thinking hard of them! That's amazing." His smile made her heartbeat race.

"Yes. It is." Marina looked away from him. "Did you hear… _all_ of my thoughts?"

Julian cleared his throat. "Well, uhm, most of them, I believe."

Marina looked back at him. "Like what?"

Now it was Julian's turn to be nervous. "You are attracted to me--_very _attracted. And you don't want a casual relationship. You want something real. And you are worried that I don't."

"That's most of it," Marina said quietly.

There was another awkward silence.

"Marina, let me tell you, I am as--" Julian started.

"Hey! Look! It's that mind-freak girl!"

Julian and Marina spun around.

There stood Jake Harris and Carlos Garcia, two of the young officers who had come aboard Deep Space Nine with Marina, Tom, and Hannah.

Jake stepped forward. He was a big man, a combat specialist, and Carlos followed his lead in almost everything. "Hey, girl--didn't you send my friend Tom to the sick bay with your mind powers, or whatever?"

Before Marina could speak, Julian stood in front of her and said, "She is your superior officer, ensign, and Lieutenant Barnett is just fine now." His voice was icy cold.

"Who are you to know?" Jake asked, rolling his eyes.

"I am the chief medical officer aboard this space station, and if you don't leave us alone, I will report you to the constable."

Jake studied the doctor and the girl behind him, then laughed. "Look, Carl--the freak girl's got herself a boyfriend."

"Hey, didn't we hear that the chief medical officer had been genetically engineered as a child?" Carlos spoke up, looking to Jake for approval.

Jake smiled slowly. "Yes. We certainly did. Carl, we've got ourselves a pair of freaks."

Marina took Julian's hand and began punching in her code on the keypad of her door.

"Scared of us, _lieutenant_?" Jake teased.

"No, just sick of you," Marina replied quietly. The door whooshed open. "Come on, Julian." She gave his hand a tug. "I still have to show you those paintings."

Julian turned to go inside, then turned back to the two young men in the hallway. "Leave. Go back to your quarters," he warned, his eyes steely.

Jake crossed his muscular arms. "I think my friend and I will wait here. We're curious about what freaks do behind closed doors."

Julian reached up and tapped his communicator, fixing and expressionless gaze on Jake Harris. "Bashir to Odo."

"Yes?"

"Lt. Richardson and I are outside of her quarters, and we are having a little trouble with Ensigns Harris and Garcia. They won't leave us alone."

"All right. I'm on my way."

Julian tapped his communicator again and smiled benignly at the two new officers. "Good evening, gentlemen." He followed Marina into her quarters, smiling smugly as he heard Jake and Carlos hurry off down the hall.

Marina visibly relaxed as the door swished shut. "Thank-you, Julian," she said, turning to face him.

"No problem." He shrugged. "Rescuing damsels in distress comes easily to me." He grinned slyly. "Though I daresay, you are not _always _in distress. You are very handy with a long sword."

Marina laughed. "Thank-you. You aren't so bad with one yourself."

"Practice. Lots of it."

"Ah, yes. Me, too. My own programs tend to run towards sword-fighting and such."

"So…" Julian cleared his throat. "About the whole 'hearing your thoughts' thing. Uhm, I don't know what to say. I am… flattered that you find me so… attractive. And I must say, I am very attracted to you as well. But… we've only known each other for a few days. I don't understand how it's possible to--to…" He sighed and ran a hand through his short, thick dark hair, annoyed at his loss for words. He smiled sheepishly at Marina and stepped closer to her. "Read my thoughts," he whispered. "Find the words I seem to have lost."

Marina's green eyes were wide. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He took her hands and closed his eyes. "Go ahead."

Marina felt herself trembling--with nervousness and something else… "Well, uhm, concentrate on… your feelings for me." She blushed even as she said the words.

"All right."

Then she reached out with her mind and looked for his. It wasn't hard to find. Unlike most minds, his was like a beacon to her. _Yes, we are on the same frequency, _she thought. She sifted through random bits of information until she found what she was looking for. She drew back at first, stunned at the force of emotions. _He feels that strongly about me?_ Then she plunged in again.

(LINE)

Julian waited, still holding Marina's trembling hands. As he waited, he found himself picking up on random bits of thought, Marina's thought. It was frightening--but at the same time, fascinating.

"You're losing focus," Marina whispered, her voice sounding oddly hoarse.

"Oh, sorry." He again concentrated on her, on every feeling he had experienced around her.

After what seemed like forever, but what was probably only a few minutes, Marina drew her hands from his and sighed. "All right. That's enough."

Julian opened his eyes. Marina had turned her back to him and was standing with her arms crossed, facing one of her pictures. It was of a medieval woman in a long, blue dress weaving in front of a mirror. In the mirror was the reflection of an embracing couple. Underneath the picture, in flowing handwriting, was written, " 'I am half sick of shadows,' said the Lady of Shalott." Julian suddenly realized that the Lady in the picture bore a striking resemblance to Marina.

"My brother-in-law painted that of me a year ago," Marina said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was at their first anniversary, his and my little sister's. I created a holo-suite program for them as Guinevere and Arthur, only one where they ended up happy, where Lancelot found his own bride. Ryder, that's my brother-in-law, said I reminded him of her, the Lady of Shalott. It's one of my favorite poems."

Julian stood close behind her, trying to pick up on her thoughts, but getting nothing. "Do you feel like the lady? Half sick of shadows of love?" On impulse, he said, "the couple in the mirror--I'll bet Ryder painted them to look like him and your sister."

"Yes."

"Marina, what did you learn from my thoughts?" Julian asked quietly.

Marina turned to face him. There was something different in her eyes. "Julian, I'm turning away from the mirror."

He tilted his head, a little confused.

"Maybe I imagined what I found. Maybe--maybe I imagined that I found that you care for me as deeply as I care for you."

"So that's what you mean. You're taking the chance, turning from the mirror, like the lady in the poem, to find out if what you saw is true."

Marina nodded mutely, almost afraid to look at him, but even more afraid to look away.

"You will not end up like the Lady of Shalott," Julian whispered, stepping closer. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, then leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.

To her surprise, Marina kissed him back passionately, her arms going around his neck, and his around her waist. When they pulled back, she looked up at him and whispered, "So… I did not imagine it?"

Julian held her close, in awe at his own feelings. _It's not even been a week since we met! _"No… and neither did I."

"The mirror doesn't crack then? I don't have to go floating down the river?" Marina laughed, a bit hysterically.

"No. Not at all." Julian stepped back from her and took her hand, then kissed it. "Good-night, then, Lady Marina." He gave her a slow smile, full of promise.

"Good-night." Marina couldn't help but smile. She felt like laughing and dancing and singing.

With a bow, he left her quarters.

And took her heart with him.


	5. Being Watched

Chapter Five

"I hope she didn't notice what those boys said about me being genetically altered," Julian said quietly. He took a sip of his drink and glanced around the bar.

"Even if she did, I don't think she would mind." Major Kira smiled softly. "I think she's half way in love with you."

"Do you mean that?" Julian leaned back in his chair, frowning thoughtfully.

"Yes! Anyone with eyes can see." Kira shook her head. "I don't know why, but she's fallen hard for you. I don't think anything in the world could change that right now."

"_I _think it's romantic," Dax said with a smile. She reached to squeeze her husband's hand. "Wouldn't you agree, Worf?"

"Actually, I would," the Klingon replied. "She is an excellent choice for a mate, doctor. From what I have heard about her expeditions in the holo-suite, she is a strong and brave warrior."

Miles chuckled. "If you can get it through her head who she's _supposed_ to fight, she's a formidable foe."

Julian was quiet, staring into his drink. "She looked into my mind," he said quietly. "And I saw a part of hers. It was like nothing that has ever happened to me…" He looked around at his friends. "Am I going crazy? Or am I falling for her, too?"

Miles eyed his friend with concern. There was sadness in the young doctor's soulful eyes, and a touch of worry. "Julian… don't you _want_ to fall for her?"

Julian linked his fingers on the table. "Yes. I believe I do. But… It scares me. I mean, she's this--this amazing person and--and I don't--"

"Sisko to Bashir."

Julian sighed and tapped his communicator. "Yes, Captain?"

"I think you need to come to my office. There's something you need to see."

"Is something the matter?"

"Constable Odo is with me. Is the major there?"

"Yes, Kira's here."

"Then have her come with you. It's serious."

(LINE)

"Intelligence reports just picked this up." Sisko hit a button and a picture and words appeared on the view screen. The picture was of Marina.

Julian sat up straight in his seat. "What--what's going on?"

"This information was found on Cardassia, and in other areas of the Dominion," Sisko explained. "It appears that the Dominion has been watching Lt. Richardson very closely. They even have discovered, somehow, that she is here aboard this station."

Julian sat back, rubbing his jaw. "She's in danger," he said quietly. "We have to do something."

"And there is obviously a spy aboard this station, as well," Odo said grimly, pacing.

"Why would the Dominion monitor Mari--Lt. Richardson?" Kira asked, frowning.

There was a moment of silence, then Julian spoke up. "Isn't it obvious?" He stared at nothing, his eyes narrowed, his voice cold. "Her mind powers. They want her because she has psychogenotrosis."

"_Want_ her?" Odo stopped pacing.

"Yes. They would love to get their hands on someone like her." Julian looked at Sisko. "Wouldn't they?"

Sisko sighed and sat in his chair. "Yes. That would seem so."

"Well, we can't let them have her. That's for sure," Kira said.

"No, no," Julian agreed quickly. "She must be protected."

"She will be," Sisko declared firmly. "And that will be up to you three."

"Us?" Kira asked.

"Yes. I want the three of you to keep a sharp eye on Lt. Richardson until there are further developments." He smiled slowly, glancing at the doctor. "I don't think that will be any trouble for you, doctor."

"Of course not. I'll have no trouble keeping _two _sharp eyes on her." He smiled.

Kira muttered something under her breath.

"What?" Julian asked her.

She cleared her throat. "Nothing."

"The three of you are dismissed," said Sisko.

"Wait," Odo spoke up. "What are we to do about the possibility of a spy, Captain?"

"Odo, I want you to be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior involving Lt. Richardson and report it to me," the captain said. He sighed. "Hopefully we can find a way to cut the Dominion's surveillance of Lt. .Richardson short."

Odo nodded and left.

Kira stood. She nodded to the captain, then glanced at Julian. "I'll go check on the lieutenant right now," she volunteered, then she walked out the door.

Julian stood and started to follow, but was stopped by Sisko's hand on his arm.

"I like that girl, Dr. Bashir," Sisko said quietly. "From what I hear from my son and the constable, and from what I've noticed, she is an excellent officer and a fine woman. I believe that you like her, too."

"Yes," Julian answered fervently. "Very much."

"Just take good care of her, doctor."

"I will, sir."

"Good luck."

"Thank-you, sir." Julian nodded to the captain and walked out into the hallway.

(LINE)

Marina looked up from her work, sensing someone behind her. She could read just a touch of their thoughts. It was someone she liked…

"Lieutenant?"

"Major Kira!" Marina spun around. "I'm almost finished with my report on the station's air purity levels."

"Don't let me rush you. And it's Nerys. Please."

"All right… Nerys." Marina flashed the Bajoran woman a smile, then returned to her typing. She thought her best with her fingers on the letter keys, and it wasn't long at all before she was finished. She spun around in her chair. "How can I help you?"

"Why don't you walk with me to the Promenade? I have some questions I'd like to ask you." Kira gave her a friendly smile.

"All right." Marina sensed that Kira liked her company, but that it was more than just a friendly chat that she wanted. Something was worrying her.

Marina followed Kira into the hallway. "What did you want to talk about, Nerys?" she asked.

"Well, I just wanted to get to know you better. Everyone seems to like you, especially Julian, and you seem to be a very nice girl."

Marina smiled at her. "Thank-you."

"So… have you had any run-ins with the Dominion?" Kira held her breath, hoping the girl would reveal something.

For a moment, Marina was silent. Then she said quietly, "Actually, I have. I was asked to-to defect to the Dominion once."

Kira let out her breath. "Wow. I'm assuming you said no."

"I said no."

"So, why and how did they ask you to join them?"

"It was on my way to the station, actually," Marina explained. "Some Cardassian man hailed our shuttle and wanted to speak with me privately. He asked me if I felt that my talents were being appreciated in Starfleet, then said that the Cardassian government and the Dominion could appreciate me more." She looked at Kira, her green eyes wide. "You aren't… suspicious of me now, are you?"

"No." Kira's answer was firm. "Not at all. I trust you. Go on."

"I told him that it was a lost cause--I would never betray Starfleet. He got angry and told me that I should reconsider, that the Dominion was watching me. Then he ended transmission."

"Marina." Kira stopped walking and grabbed Marina by the shoulders. "Why didn't you tell this to Odo?"

"I did."

Kira groaned and released her. "Then why didn't he say anything?"

"He promised he would only tell the captain."

Kira frowned. "I'm confused." _So Sisko already knew that this girl was being watched by the Dominion. Maybe he didn't believe her report and had to back it up by contacting intelligence. And then, when he found out that the Dominion _was_ spying on her, he knew he had to do something. Ahhhhhh. I get it now. And that's why Odo was so quiet the whole time. Not like he would have gotten in a word on Bashir… _"Nevermind. Let's talk about something else. Tell me about what you like to do."

Marina breathed a sigh of relief.

(LINE)

There was a beep at the door.

"Come in," Marina called, standing up from unpacking the last of her luggage.

A dark, slender form stood in the doorway.

Marina smiled. Julian. "Hello," she said quietly.

"Hello yourself."

Marina's smile widened. "You're holding roses."

Julian stepped into the light. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I am. I have a delivery for the most beautiful lady on the station. Have I come to the right quarters?"

Marina gave him a mock pouting face. "I'm afraid not. She lives down the hall."

Julian caught his breath. She was not wearing her uniform. Instead, she was draped in a deep violet dress, her slender waist belted in silver. "That can't be. I'm looking at her right now."

The breathlessness in his voice gave her goose bumps. _If only I was wearing long sleeves…_ "Roses?" she managed, embarrassed by the squeakiness of her voice. "For _me_?"

Julian dropped to one knee and held out the flowers. "I told you already. For the most beautiful woman on Deep Space Nine."

Marina took them slowly. "I don't feel worthy."

"Oh, but you are." Julian stood and gently took the roses back, laying them on her already cluttered desk. They blocked too much of her from his eyes.

"No one's ever given me a dozen red roses before. And I've always wanted someone to." Marina stepped forward, surprised at her own boldness, and touched his face. "I'm especially flattered that they're from the handsomest man on the station."

Julian laughed lightly and grabbed her, pulling her close to him and settling his cheek against her hair.

Marina smiled and wrapped her arms around his slim waist. She closed her eyes and was still, listening to the beat of his heart. "When you were genetically enhanced, they must have made you perfect," she whispered dreamily.

Julian started in surprised, then relaxed in her embrace, smiling. "I meant what I said last night. I really do want a… serious relationship with you."

Marina was quiet, not really sure what to say.

Julian pulled back slightly, so he could see her eyes. "Marina Richardson, would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked with flair.

"Yes, I would," she whispered.

He kissed her passionately.

"I already like my new position," she said, her forehead against his.

"I'm glad. You suit it most perfectly," he replied. Then he pulled back from her and began looking around her room. "Well. What shall we do this evening?"

"Won't Miles be lonely? He's so used to having you around all the time."

"He and Keiko and the kids are spending quality time tonight."

"Ahhh. Convenient."

Julian smirked.

"Well, let me put these roses--these beautiful roses--in water, then we can discuss this further." Marina motioned to her blue couch. "Sit down."

Julian gave her a knee-weakening smile and sat gracefully on the edge of the couch, his eyes following her as she proceeded to arrange the flowers. Then, he noticed something. "You have two teddy bears."

Marina turned from the vase of roses, surprised. She followed his gaze to her bed. "Yes. I do." She blushed lightly. "Sad thing is, I can't sleep without them."

"I have one myself. My first patient. He's sitting on a shelf in my room. My happiness depends upon his presence."

Marina smiled. "We do have a few things in common. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to touch your mind so well." She moved to settle beside him on the couch.

"Well? What shall we do?"

"We could take a stroll on the Promenade, watch some of my recordings of my holo-suite programs… Whatever you like."

Julian took her hand. "No. Whatever _you _ like."

Marina bit her lip, smiling almost shyly.

"We could do this," Julian said. He leaned forward and kissed her, running his fingers through her hair.

Marina kissed him back. _This is what I would like_, she thought. She reached with her mind to gently touch his and found that he agreed.

"I'm glad we have the same idea," he whispered.

(LINE)

"Good-night, Marina." Julian kissed her gently. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good-night." Marina kissed him back.

Julian sighed and bent to plant a soft kiss on her neck.

"No! None of that!" Marina shoved him playfully. Then she sobered. "You start that now and I won't want to stop. And I'm not that kind of girl."

Julian smiled softly at her. "I know. That's why I'm standing in your doorway."

"Yes." Marina returned the smile. "Sweet dreams, doctor."

Julian bowed suavely. "Only if they're of you." And he was gone.

Julian's dreams that night were very sweet, but Marina's were not. She awoke in the middle of the night, a sense of foreboding settling heavy in her stomach. The darkness closed in on her, and the memory of her dream made her feel devastatingly alone…


	6. Dreams of Night and Day

Chapter Six

Marina jumped and spun around when someone touched her shoulder.

"Lieutenant? Is everything all right?" Dax's eyes were full of concern. "You've been really tense today."

"Sorry… I'm just... It's just…" Marina shrugged. "I know this is going to sound strange but, I had a bad dream last night, and it's really bothering me."

Dax crossed her arms. "When people have dreams around here, they tend to be important. Do you want to talk about it?"

Marina glanced down at her work. "Well, I'm not quite finished with my scans of--"

"We don't need those finished until tomorrow. Come on." Dax nodded towards the door. "Let's go to Quark's. Worf is meeting me there in a few minutes, and I think Nerys is going to be there, too, and maybe some of the others." She lightly laid her hand on Marina's shoulder. "You can trust us, you know. Come on."

Dax's eyes were warm and friendly. Marina smiled at her. "All right. Thank-you. I needed a break." She followed the Trill woman across the station and into Quark's bar.

Immediately, Marina cast her eyes about for Julian, but he was not there. Worf, Kira, and Jake Sisko sat at one of the tables. _Now there's an odd group,_ Marina thought.

Dax and Marina crossed the room and sat down with their friends. "Marina's got something on her mind today, so I let her off early today," Dax explained.

"Julian's not here. He and the chief are in the holo-suite," Kira spoke up.

"Oh, all right." Marina linked her fingers on the table.

"So… what's on your mind?" Jake asked.

Marina blushed lightly. "This probably sounds lame, but, I had this really bad dream last night. It's got me really upset--and a bit worried. I'm a psychogenotron. My dreams are usually partially based on reality."

"Do you wanna tell us about it?" Dax asked quietly.

Marina was quiet for a moment. "I--I guess so."

Jake felt sorry for her. She looked really nervous. "It's all right," he joked. "I won't write it down."

Marina laughed. "Thank-you, Jake." She took a deep breath. "Okay, so I dreamed I was standing on a beach, and it was really windy, and I kept hearing this voice in the wind. I recognized the voice… I think it was Jake's. Not yours, Jake, the other Jake's--Jake Harris's voice."

"You mean that big bully guy? The bald guy?" Jake asked.

"Yes, that's him. He came aboard the station with me."

"He is a fine warrior," Worf spoke up. "I've seen him practicing his combat skills. But he possesses no self-control and a terrible temper."

"He's mean," Dax agreed.

"Go on, Marina," Kira said, watching the young scientist carefully.

"I kept hearing Ensign Harris laughing. Then I turned around and I was in a forest. It was still really windy. And I couldn't find Julian… I was looking for him. I kept calling his name. Then everything was dark and I was in a blue cave. There was a man in the shadows. He kept asking me my name. I kept saying, 'I'm Marina, I'm Marina,' but he wouldn't listen. I got tired of it and screamed, 'Where are the others? Where's Julian?' He laughed at me, and his laugh was a lot like Harris's, but not…" She paused, not really wanting to say the rest.

"Yes? And then?" Worf asked.

"Let her catch her breath," Dax whispered to her husband.

"I don't know if I can go on." Marina rubbed her arms and hugged herself, feeling suddenly cold.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Kira said firmly.

"Perhaps this would help." Someone set a glass in front of Marina.

"I don't--I don't drink alcohol," she said, looking up at Quark.

"I know that. It's milk. The kind humans like."

"Oh. Thank-you." Marina smiled gratefully and took a sip of the cool, thick milk.

"I must admit, I'm very curious." The Ferengi sat down across from her. "Whenever you feel like it, please continue your dream. I have a feeling people would pay bricks to participate in a holo-suite program based on your dream."

Marina shuddered. "You won't have that feeling after you hear the next part."

"So you _are_ going to tell us, right?" Quark asked.

Marina sighed. "Yes. Maybe I'll feel better if I just let it all out." She felt a chill run up her spine at the thought of what she had dreamt. "The dream moved back to the beach. I was wearing a white dress. Julian was standing beside me--and the man from the shadows was standing in front of me. I just--I just shoved Julian aside and kissed that shadow man!"

"Gross," said Dax.

"Then my dress turned black, and the sea turned red. And I was alone. All alone. The sun set really fast, and I was alone in the dark, dressed in black. And I could still hear Jake Harris, laughing in the wind. Then I knelt down in the sand and cried. I knew that I had done wrong, that I had destroyed everything that was right and good, and I was alone." She took a deep breath, feeling suddenly dizzy. The memory was too vivid, too near.

"Are you all right?" Kira asked, frowning.

Marina found that she couldn't focus. "I-I don't know." _That was no dream, was it? That was a vision._ "Captain Sisko… he's the emissary. Does he know about visions?" Her voice was quiet, distant.

"You mean, you think your dream was a… vision of some sort?" Jake asked.

"Yes. I think I need to go talk to the captain." Marina took a deep swallow of milk and stood shakily. _Oh, God, please don't let me hurt these people._

"Marina, are you all right?"

Suddenly, strong, slender arms were around her, holding her close.

"What's wrong, darling? What's wrong?"

Marina was fighting back tears. "Julian, my dream… I dreamed I betrayed you, all of you, and all was lost. I was alone, and you were gone. Please, don't leave me. Don't let me leave you." She clung to him like a lifeline, angry at the tears that came unbidden.

"It's all right to cry," Kira said suddenly and quietly.

"I don't like crying in front of people," Marina said into the doctor's chest.

"Sit down." Julian helped her gently into her chair and knelt beside her. "Now tell me about this dream."

Marina told the tragic story again. "It felt so real, Julian," she finished. "I don't think it was a dream. I think it was a vision. I have psychogenotrosis, so I can sense things. I think I've unconsciously picked up on something, something that might happen, something… bad."

Julian stood quickly. "Come on, Marina," he said, his eyes intense. He took her hand. "We need to see the captain."

(LINE)

Marina sat on Julian's couch, her head on his shoulder. "So, Sisko thinks this has something to do with the Dominion?"

"It would seem so." Julian brushed a strand of her hair back and kissed her just behind her ear. "Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you."

"So you and Kira and Odo are assigned to watch me?"

"Yes."

"You're not… you're not…"

"Dating you because it's my job? No. Certainly not."

"Good."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"Miles mentioned that he'd like to see some of your holo-suite programs," Julian spoke up, desperate to make Marina smile again.

She did.

Julian tilted his head to one side, capturing that soft, sad-eyed smile in his memory. "Would you like to show us one now?"

"Why not? Maybe it can get my mind off that stupid dream. Vision." Marina shuddered.

"Come on." Julian stood and pulled her to her feet beside him. "Since I'm so dashing, I think I'll let _you _pick which program you wish to show us."

"You are very dashing." Marina wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly for a moment, then let go and started walking towards the door.

"That's all?"

She spun around. "What do you mean?"

"A simple hug? That's all I get for being very--very, mind you--dashing?"

There it was again, that smug arrogant smirk that she loved. "Wellllll, I _guess_ you can get more."

Julian walked up to her until they stood toe to toe. "Elaborate on more."

"How about this?" Feeling impulsive, Marina grabbed him by the face and kissed him soundly. To her satisfaction, he returned the kiss with vigor.

When she was in the arms of the man she loved, nothing could steal her joy.

"Hello in there!"

The couple laughed.

"Deja vu," Marina whispered.

Julian rolled his eyes. "Indeed. Now come on. You need to pick out the program we'll be using today."

Marina followed him into the corridor, where they were joined by Miles. "I've already picked it. I think I'll introduce you guys to the Playground today."

Miles snorted. "The Playground?"

Marina nodded. "It's one of my favorite programs."

"Do you have the costumes for it?" the engineer asked.

"You don't need any," Marina explained. "It's just… a playground. You'll see."

"Sounds interesting." Julian gave her a crooked smile. "Lead the way, Lady of Shallot."

A few minutes later, they were standing in the holo-suite--in a playground. It was a classic park, complete with swings, slides, seesaws, and merry-go-rounds. The sky was gray-blue with rain clouds, and a cool breeze whipped across the playground.

"Nice," said Miles, crossing his arms. "Now where's the action?"

Marina smiled. "This is it. It's just… a playground."

Julian stepped forward, looking around. "There's such… atmosphere to this place. The cloudy sky, the wind, the dark trees in the distance…" He turned to face Marina. "Well done, lieutenant."

"So… what are we supposed to do?" Miles asked skeptically.

Marina shrugged. "Just play."

"Play?" Miles frowned.

"Yes, play. It's a _play_ground." Marina laughed quietly.

"You should bring Molly and Yoshi here," Julian suggested. "They would absolutely love it."

Miles' face brightened. "Yes. They would." He turned to Marina. "Would you mind if I had them come now?"

"No. Not at all. I love children."

Julian suddenly had a vision of Marina holding a baby, _her _baby, but it wasn't blonde like her. It was dark-haired, like him…

"What's the matter, Julian? Didn't you hear her?"

"Wh-what?" He cleared his throat.

"Marina asked what you'd like to do first."

Marina bit her lip, smiling. Julian looked so cute when he was confused.

"Uhm, well, I think I'd like to try the swings." He quickly regained his composure and smiled that smug smile Marina loved. "I haven't been on a swing since… I don't know when."

Marina held out her hand. "Come on then." Together, they started towards the swings. Marina looked back at Miles. "Coming?"

"I think I'll go get my family first. They're going to love this."

(LINE)

"Stop! Stop pushing Molly! I think I'm going to be sick!"

Molly giggled and stopped pushing the merry-go-round so her parents could get off.

Marina and Julian watched from the swings. "They're pretty happy, aren't they?" Marina said quietly. "The O'Briens?"

"Yes. They are." Julian smiled as he watched his best friend playing with his family.

"I don't understand why you don't have a family already," Marina said, swinging slowly.

"It's just that… I haven't found the right woman I guess. Not yet." _Unless it's you._

"I see. I know what you mean. It was always my dream to settle down and have a family." She picked up speed. "And it was my sister's to travel the galaxies. I guess we got each others' dreams." She was soaring now, almost parallel with the horizon when on the upward swing.

Julian just sat quiet and still. "So… you want to have a family?"

"Yes." _What is he getting at?_ Marina wondered. Did she dare to hope that he was _that _serious about their relationship?

There it was again--the image of Marina holding that baby, that dark-haired, green-eyed baby.

Julian smiled. "Me, too."


	7. A Mission for Marina

Chapter Seven

Marina read the mission briefing twice before deciding to go. She looked up from the view pad. "Yes. I'll go."

"Excellent," said Captain Sisko.

"Who else is going and when do we leave?" Marina asked.

"You leave in two days. Commander Worf is leading the team. You are going, of course, along with Ensigns Harris, Garcia, and West. Oh, yes, and Jake, my son, is going along. He is writing his story based on you, remember?"

"Yes. It will be nice to have him along." _But not Harris and Garcia…_

"I hear you had a bit of trouble with Harris and Garcia," Sisko spoke up.

"Yeah, they don't like me because I'm a psychogenotron," Marina explained quietly.

"You don't have to go, you know." The captain leaned back in his chair. "Catronis 6 is in an area where there was once heavy Dominion activity. There isn't as much anymore… but…"

"It's all right. Those people need me. I have a pretty good knowledge of meteorology, so I can help them with their climate control problems. I also have combat training, so I can help them with the animal control issue."

Sisko smiled. "Do you know who you sound like?"

"Who?"

"Dr. Bashir."

Marina blushed. "Maybe he's rubbing off on me." She frowned thoughtfully. "Why are no medical officers going?"

"There are plenty of those at the base on Catronis," Sisko explained.

"Oh."

"You're dismissed, lieutenant. Thank-you for volunteering. The team needed a science officer."

"No problem, sir." Marina started to leave the office, but was blocked by Major Kira Nerys.

Kira held up a hand. "Hold on for a moment, Lt. Richardson," she said. She turned to Sisko. "I heard all that, sir, and I have to object."

Sisko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? To what?"

"To sending Marina to a planet in that area! It is my responsibility, mine and Julian's and Odo's, to take care of her, and if she leaves us, we can't. I propose that you either send one of us with her, or not send her at all."

"Dr. Bashir is working on some vaccinations, and the security of this entire station is constable Odo's responsibility--not just the safety of one officer."

"Then send me, sir," Kira suggested. "I'm not working on anything important."

Sisko leaned back in his chair. "I will consider it, major."

"Thank-you, captain… Emissary." Kira nodded to him in appreciation.

"You are both dismissed."

Marina walked with Kira out of the office.

"Walk with me," Kira said to her, giving her a smile.

"All right."

"So why are you so eager to go to that place when it could be very dangerous to you?" Kira asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like it's… right. We can't just abandon the base there. It's new."

Kira studied her carefully. "I think I understand. I just don't feel comfortable sending someone as valuable to this station, and to me as a friend, as you out so close to Cardassian space!"

"Well I'm glad you're going along," Marina said. "I'll feel a lot safer--and you're good company."

"Thanks. I'm flattered. So, where are you headed to?"

"My quarters, I guess. I've finished up all the science department work for the day."

"Dax tells me you're fast."

"Yeah--genius _and _psychogenotron. What can I say?"

Kira laughed. "You _are_ starting to sound like Julian."

Marina grinned. "See you later, Nerys."

"Bye."

The two women parted and Marina went to her quarters.

Marina had just had time to unbraid her hair and plop on her couch when there was a beep at the door. She stood quickly. "Enter."

In walked Julian, with Jake Sisko following him closely.

"Hi, guys," Marina greeted them. "What can I do for you?"

"Well you can kiss me," Julian said, stepping forward. He swept Marina into his arms and kissed her.

__

Oh gosh. I'm going to miss him sooooooooo bad…

"I hear you and Jake are going on a mission to Catronis 6," Julian said quietly.

"Yes. In two days."

"I'll _really_ miss you." His voice was low and intense.

"I'll miss you, too," she whispered.

Jake cleared his throat. "The good doctor and I were wondering if you would walk with us to the Promenade. You could answer some of my questions for my story, and you and your boyfriend could spend some quality time."

Julian winked at her.

Marina smiled. "Sounds good to me." She took Julian's hand and followed him and Jake into the hall.

"I'm working on chapter four of my story," Jake said. "My heroine, Marina, and her surgeon lover are on a mission when the Dominion attacks."

Marina raised an eyebrow. "Julian is, unfortunately, not going with me to Catronis. And hopefully, we will not be facing the Dominion."

Jake laughed. "Don't worry. It's just fiction."

__

I hope the Dominion part is… And I wish the Julian-coming-with-me part wasn't…

"Marina versus the Dominion--that's what I'm going to call it," Jake continued.

Marina and Julian exchanged a glance.

Julian made sure that Jake wasn't paying attention and pulled Marina to a stop beside him. "Marina, I'm so worried about you," he whispered as Jake kept walking.

"Kira's going with me," Marina replied. "I'll be all right."

Julian just stared at her. _If anything happens to you… _Impulsively, he pulled her into his arms and brushed the top of her head with a soft kiss.

Jake cleared his throat.

Reluctantly, Marina and Julian pulled apart.

Marina swallowed hard to keep from crying. How could she leave this station, these friends… Julian… She had to. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that she had to go to Catronis 6. She had to.

"Are you all right?" Julian asked, his soulful eyes concerned.

"Fine." The tightness in her throat made her voice sound a bit choked. "Let's keep walking."

They continued their walk, with Jake doing most of the talking.

(LINE)

Julian sat alone at the bar, staring into his drink, lost in his thoughts.

"You already miss her?" Quark asked, coming up to him.

"Yes." Julian snapped his head up. "I don't know what I'm going to do without her." _Her bright smile whenever she sees me, her gentle touch, her passionate kiss good-night when I'm standing in her doorway, when I don't want to leave but I do anyway because she's not that kind of girl… _He smiled dreamily at the memories.

"I miss her, too," Quark said suddenly.

Julian frowned at him. "What?"

"Her ideas are invaluable." The Ferengi leaned across the bar. "That Playground program of hers…" He sighed. "Everyone is lining up to be able to play in the Playground. For a human, that woman sure does know what people want."

"She's good with people--very alert, watchful, notices everything."

"It's that mind power. Or at least, part of it is, I guess." Quark straightened. "What are you doing here, doctor? You should be with her. She's leaving in less that two days!"

Julian blinked, his glass paused in front of his face. Quark was telling someone to leave the bar?

"Julian! It will make you feel better--and her, too--if you spend time with her before she leaves."

"You're right, Quark." Julian set his glass down and stood. "I'm going to see her." He fairly ran across the station to Marina's door. As soon as the door opened, he rushed inside.

There she stood, dressed in a belted green tunic and black pants. She didn't smile when she saw him, but her green eyes lit up. "Julian."

"Marina." He rushed over to her and kissed her. "I can't stand to think--to think that I won't see you for--for a week!"

Marina laughed softly and pulled his head to her shoulder. "It's just a week," she whispered, but her voice was shaky as well.

"It's been barely a week since I met you," Julian whispered, his breath warm on her neck. "And I--I don't know why, but I can't bear being apart from you. It's--it's wrong to even think about it." Marina felt him tremble in her arms.

"I know." She gently took his face between her hands. "I know. I'm coming back, Julian."

__

What is happening to me? To us? This is too fast. I can't even think straight… "You'd better come back." He regained his composure and gave her his arrogant smile. "If you don't, I'm coming to get you."

Marina pulled his head down and kissed him hard. "My hero," she whispered.

They embraced for a long time. Neither of them could bear the thought of being without the other.

"Marina…" Julian whispered suddenly, drawing back from a rather passionate embrace. "I have to leave."

Marina nodded, then leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yes," she said quietly. "But I don't want you to."

Julian laughed softly.

The sound of his laugh gave her goose bumps.

"I don't want to leave, either." He gently drew back from her and took her hands. "But remember, you're 'not that kind of girl.' That's one of the things I love most about you. You are very skilled in the art of kissing, but yet you're still such a lady. You swing swords and play on playgrounds, but you also sleep with teddy bears. My diagnosis--you are a genuine Renaissance woman."

"That's me," Marina said, laughter in her voice.

Ever so slowly, ever so softly, Julian bent and kissed her neck just under her jaw line. "I'll miss you so much," he whispered, straightening. "Good-night." He bowed gracefully, then turned to go.

As he was standing in the open doorway, Marina called, "Julian, I love you."

He turned to face her, his dark eyes wide. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. _I must have just imagined that. There is no bloody way she just said what I think she said._

Marina smiled at him. It was that sad-eyed smile again, the one he had branded into his memory. "You don't have to say anything back," she said quietly. "Not tonight."

Julian gave her what he hoped was a smile, then turned and started down the hallway towards his quarters. He stopped at his door and leaned against it. He suddenly realized that he had forgotten to breathe.


	8. Silence Isn't Always Golden

Chapter Eight

Marina woke up suddenly the day when she was leaving. She couldn't find it. Couldn't find her ring. She felt her heartbeat rushing. Where was it? She stopped looking suddenly, sitting up in her bed, looking at her naked finger--the ring finger of her left hand.

"Oh. Oh."

She touched that finger softly. There was no ring because there _never had been _a ring. She wasn't married.

Oh, but the dream had been nice.

Marina fell back onto the bed and grabbed Archie, one of her teddy bears, holding him tightly to her chest. If only the dream had been real. If only she wasn't leaving, _was_ married to Julian. It almost made her want to cry.

"But I have to go," she whispered to herself (and her teddy bears). "I don't know why, but I have to. I feel it." She sighed. "And I have to get up now, get dressed and all that." She set the stuffed polar bear on the pillow, sat up, and stretched. As she stood, she reached to touch her ring finger and groaned.

(LINE)

"She's leaving today."

"Like I don't know it." Julian crossed his arms, looking very bothered.

"You've only known her for… what? A week?"

"Does it always take longer than that to fall in love?"

Miles shrugged.

"Keiko goes away all the time. How do you _bear_ it?" Julian turned from the window. Somehow, looking out at the stars reminded him even more of how far away Marina would be for a week.

"I don't know." Miles sighed. Then he smiled. "Your company helps a lot. It keeps my mind off of her absence. Playing darts and being in the holo-suite and all."

"You mean losing at darts." Julian's smug smile slowly returned.

Miles frowned. "What do you mean? Have you been playing the same games I have?"

They laughed together, then were suddenly quiet.

"When does she leave?"

Julian sighed, clasping his hands together in front of his face. "In about three hours, I'd say."

"Gives you time to say good-bye."

"Yes. It does."

"So where is she now?"

"Probably getting her science equipment together for the voyage."

"Are you going to go see her?"

Julian sat down at his desk. "Yes. As soon as I get these formulas figured out."

"Am I bothering you? I can leave." Miles stepped towards the door.

Julian smiled at his best friend. "No. You're not bothering me." He sighed, suddenly looking very young and very vulnerable. "I don't want to be by myself. I might think about… her leaving."

"I understand." Miles plopped into a nearby chair.

"Thank-you."

As soon as he was finished with his work, Julian said good-bye to his friend and started out to find Marina. He first went to the science department, but Dax told him that she had left to take some equipment to the ship that would take her to Catronis. So he hurried to the docking area.

The first thing he saw was Marina. She was standing beside Odo, who was inspecting the ship, the _Longfellow, _a small ship. Marina was chatting incessantly as she loaded boxes into the ship's opened hold. And Odo was smiling, actually smiling at her, amused.

Julian smiled also as he walked up to the ship. The changeling was obviously amused by Marina's manner. She was one of the few people who could make him smile. And of course, it helped that she had a perfectly clean record.

"Julian!" Marina spun around and smiled at him.

"Can it be? The most beautiful woman on the station knows my name?"

Marina rushed to him and hugged him, then grabbed his upper arms and held him at arm's length. "Of course I know your name. As soon as I saw you, I asked about you, because you're sooooooo gorgeous."

Julian grinned at her. "I know."

Odo walked up to the pair. "The ship seems to be in good order," he said. "I'll go report to the captain." He glanced at Marina and chuckled softly, then walked off.

Marina was suddenly solemn. "It's not going to be long before we leave."

"I know." Julian brushed a loose strand of her hair behind one of her slightly pointed ears. He tilted his head and looked at her sideways. "I don't have to tell you that I will miss you."

"Maybe I can reach out with my mind and touch yours," Marina said quietly. "I've been thinking about that. I haven't really experimented with my powers, you know. I've been scared to, scared I'll hurt people--like I did in that dream." _Dream. Oh, that was a good dream last night!_

Julian noticed that she was fighting back a smile. "What? What are you smiling about?"

"I had a good dream last night," she said, smiling. "_Very _good."

"That must mean I was in it."

She studied his arrogant smile carefully, memorizing it for the week ahead. "Yes. You were in it."

"Why are you touching your finger like that?"

Marina looked down. She was running the fingers of her right hand up and down her left ring finger. "Uhm, I don't know," she said, blushing.

"Yes, you do." Julian took her hands. "You dreamed we were married, didn't you?"

Marina nodded.

Julian smiled crookedly. "I wish _I _had dreamed that."

"Lt. Richardson!"

Marina turned around and called, "Coming, Hannah!" Then she turned back to Julian. "It's almost time to leave."

Julian looked around. He had been so caught up in Marina that he hadn't noticed what else was going on. Dax and Worf were kissing good-bye. Sisko was hugging his son. "Oh. So soon…"

Marina wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. _I won't cry._

Julian kissed the top of her head, then tilted her chin up so that he could see her eyes. "Darling, in one week I'll be waiting right here for you."

"And I'll coming running to you. You'd better be careful or I'll knock you over when I passionately leap into your arms." Marina started laughing hysterically, close to tears.

Julian gently put his finger to her lips, his eyes dark and soulful. "I'm looking forward to it," he whispered, suddenly so aware of her strong, slim arms around his waist, the tips of her shoes touching his, her hair streaming downward like a waterfall of melted gold. He grasped her chin and kissed her.

Marina kissed him back, trying to memorize the feel of it, the feel of his slender body close to hers, his lips, his beautiful fingers…

"Good-bye, angel." He pulled back from her, and his eyes were shiny. With tears?

"Good-bye. I love you." Marina took a step back, aware that the rest of the party was boarding the ship. But she had to wait, had to see what he would say in reply.

Julian didn't say anything. Again, her words scared him. And he wanted to return them, wanted to desperately, but couldn't.

Marina's eyes filled then, and she turned quickly and ran to the _Longfellow, _hair streaming behind her.

Julian felt like he had been punched--hard. _I'm a bloody idiot. How could I hurt her like that? Especially when I really _do _love her?_

He stood with the other friends and family members as the ship left the space station. He put a hand on the glass of the window. "Marina…I love you…" he whispered. He thought it desperately at her, hoping with all his heart that she picked up on it.

(LINE)

She did not. She had shut off her mind to the thoughts of others. She felt cold, shivery, weak. _Of course he loves me. Of course. He is so happy with me. We laugh and talk. And when we kiss… He _has _to love me. But why didn't he say it then? Why can't he? Maybe I've just imagined things; maybe I'm trying to make something of us that we're not…_

"Lieutenant?"

Marina's head snapped up. "Yes, ma'am?"

Kira peered at her carefully. "Are you all right?"

Marina nodded, then put her face in her hands. "No."

Kira glanced behind her. The rest of the team was paying no attention to her, or to Marina. Worf was piloting the ship. Harris and Garcia were looking over some charts. Jake was scribbling something frantically onto his pad. Hannah West was navigating. The major looked back at Marina. "Is it Julian?"

Marina nodded miserably, glancing down at her computer. There was nothing for her to do yet. They wouldn't reach Catronis 6 until nearly twenty hours had passed. So of course, there were no planetary readings yet. "Kira, you won't repeat any of this to him, will you?"

"No. Not like I could get a word in edgewise to him." The Bajoran woman grinned and crossed her arms. "He tends to wax eloquent and lose me entirely."

"Yes, he does that." There was a tender glow in Marina's eyes as she thought of him. Then there was sadness. "Oh, Nerys, I love him! I'm _in love_ with him! I want to marry him! I want to have his children!"

Marina suddenly blushed as she realized that Harris, Garcia, and Jake had heard her and were staring at her.

Kira turned to face the three young men. "Back to your own business," she snapped. She turned back to Marina. "Come on. Let's go to my cabin." She led the young science officer and led her to one of the tiny cabins, where they sat on the bunk. "All right. Continue."

Marina frowned. "Where was I?"

Kira smiled wryly. "You want to have his children."

Marina blushed madly, all the way to the tips of her pointy ears. "Yes. As those three guys now know." She cleared her throat and calmed down. "I dreamed we were married last night, and woke up looking for my wedding ring. I'm pathetic."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Not pathetic, just overly romantic and completely in love."

"That's me." Marina sighed, her eyes distant and dreamy. "I've told him--twice--that I love him. And he has never said anything back. He always gets all quiet. The last time was just awhile ago. It was the last thing I said to him. And he just stood there. When he didn't say anything back, I lost control. I just--just shut everything off. My mind powers, I mean. I feel so cold inside." She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. "All because of a guy. I'm so lame. My whole world depends on this guy, whether he loves me or not."

"That's not lame." Kira patted the girl's shoulder. "You just really care about him. And he's an absolute idiot for not recognizing that!" She shook her head. "I've seen him with you. I think he cares about you--deeply. I don't understand why he doesn't say it. It can't be that he fears rejection. He already knows that you're in love with him."

Marina shrugged. "Maybe he just doesn't love me."

__

Not from what I've _seen, _Kira thought, standing. "Just give this time. Don't write him off now. Maybe he's just scared of something. Something besides rejection."

"Maybe." Marina didn't sound convinced, but at least she looked a bit more hopeful. "You're right. I can't just go berserk about one little thing." _Little? "I love you" is little? _She stood up. "I'd better get to my station. I need to set up the controls for Catronis' specifications."

"You sure you're all right and ready for this mission?"

"I'm sure. I need to get to work."

"You do that."

"Thank-you, major." Marina slipped past Kira and went to sit at her post.

(LINE)

"So… you just stood there? After she'd said that?"

"Yes."

Miles shook his head. "Why didn't you tell her? It's obvious you love her!"

"Well, maybe she realizes that. Maybe she knows I love her from the way I act around her." Julian took a swallow of his drink.

Miles frowned. "Well… maybe. But… it sure does sound a heck of a lot like she doesn't. The way you described her running off and all."

Julian ran a hand down his face. "I'm a fool. A complete and utter fool." His eyes were stormy and dark.

"When she gets back, you can make it up to her. You can tell her you love her."

"But I want to now! I _need _to now! God, Miles. She's probably crying her eyes out right now! She's in love with me and she thinks I don't love her back! My poor darling! I've broken her heart!"

Miles raised an eyebrow. "You have a very high opinion of yourself, Julian."

"It's not what _I _think about me. It's what _she _thinks about me. I'm not worthy, chief. She thinks I'm so wonderful. That's just a fact. You know that. I'm not just saying that." He propped his elbows up on the table and buried his face in his hands. "I'm not good enough for her, Miles. That's what I'm scared of. I'll let her down. She'll wake up one day and wonder how she ever ended up beside a bloody idiot like me, a genetically altered, arrogant idiot. And she'll leave me, chief. And then I'll have _really _broken her heart."

Miles leaned back in his chair. "So that's it. You don't feel good enough for her."

Julian nodded into his hands.

Miles laughed.

Julian pulled his head up and shot his friend a dark look.

"Don't get all mad at me. I'm about to offer you hope. Julian, you're my best friend, so I'm biased, but… Here's my opinion. This is all going to blow over. You and Marina are going to work it out. Julian, you're good enough for anyone (see? I'm biased.). And, frankly, I think Marina is good enough for you. You're perfect for each other." Miles leaned forward, giving Julian a hard slap on the back. "When she gets back, she's going to throw herself in your arms, and you're going to tell her you love her. And you're eventually going to get married and have fourteen children, little black-haired fellows with green eyes and pointy ears." He chuckled. "I can see it now. They'll call me Uncle Miles. And one of your little girls will marry Yoshi."

Julian smiled slowly, lowering his hands to the table. "You think so?"

"Yeah. I do. Now hurry up and finish your drink so we can go play darts."

Taking a sip of his drink, Julian remembered something Marina had said to him, reminded by Miles' speech. _"You'd better be careful or I'll knock you over when I passionately leap into your arms." That's when I'll tell her I love her. I'll kiss her and hold her close and proposed very eloquently and charmingly… Good Lord. I'm contemplating proposing to a girl I've known for only a week! _He stood and stretched, smiling. "Come on. Let's go play darts. I just might let you win today, you've been so inspiring."

Miles scowled.


	9. Catronis, but Not Yet Six

Chapter Nine

In one hour, the _Longfellow_ would reach Base 6 on the planet Catronis.

Marina sat at her computers, looking up everything she could about the planet. She had wasted the rest of her journey thinking of Julian and dictating her strange dreams to Jake Sisko. The one last night had been particularly strange. She and Julian had been standing by a window, looking out at the stars. And it was raining-- _in space!_ Julian had traced one of the drops with his fingers. A breeze had blown through the station, and Marina had suddenly realized that her hair was shorter, cut to her shoulders. Then Julian had taken her hand and said, "It's all right, darling. The storm will pass."

Marina had smiled. "I don't want it to." The rain had sounded so beautiful, almost like music, on the windows of the station.

Then suddenly, Julian had just fallen over. And suddenly Kira walked in--and fell over. Then Garcia, and Hannah. Marina screamed. The glass shattered, and Marina was sucked out into space, into the rain, helplessly staring down at her fallen comrades, who had fallen for no reason.

"Marina."

Marina jumped as someone touched her shoulder. Then she sighed. "Sorry, Jake. Just thinking about that dream."

Jake settled into a chair near her. He was carrying his writing pad, of course. "I would be jumpy, too. That sure was creepy."

"Yeah." Marina nodded.

"So… what have you figured out about the planet?"

"It's very windy." _And in that really creepy dream I had, it was windy… _"There are lots of meadows and plains and beaches. There's a really big ocean, almost as big as the one on Earth. There aren't many trees. Lots of rivers. Earth-like grass and flowers, wind resistant of course. And rocky mountains, very tall. That's about all I've learned so far. And that's only from other people's reports. We're not close enough yet for planetary scans."

"Ah." Jake jotted some things down. "And this base we're going to--tell me about it."

"Catronis 6--named that because it's the sixth attempt at a base on this planet." Marina clicked some keys and brought up a picture of the base on the little screen. It was a hardy little group of stone buildings, nestled between a craggy mountain and a small forest of wind-twisted trees. "They have it hard. The atmosphere on Catronis is not naturally supportive of sentient life forms. Not quite enough oxygen. Far too windy. So the settlers have to run all this climate control machinery. And also, they're having problems with the native life forms. Some of the animals have been breaking into the compound and destroying things, seemingly for no reason. So that's why we're going--to help them with the weather and the animals."

Jake frowned. "Why all this fuss over some barren planet?"

Marina clicked another couple of keys, bringing up pictures of beautiful meadows, sparkling rapids, and hauntingly lovely forests of twisted trees. She smiled softly. "It's not barren, Jake. There's life there." She sighed and spun in her chair to face him. "And also, it's close to Cardassian space. Close enough to be a sort of safe house for Federation spies."

"Ah. I see." He smiled sideways at her. "You've fallen in love with the place already, haven't you?"

She nodded. "I think so. It's wild and alive." She crossed her arms and stared off into space--literally. "I've always loved the wind, and the ocean, and those twisted trees that only grow where there's lots of wind."

Jake smiled. "Sounds almost romantic. I could write a story about a girl like you living in a place like that."

Marina winked at him and turned back to her station. "If you write a story about me, Jake, put me there."

"Will do." Jake stood. "Well, off to my bunk to write."

"Okay. See you later." Marina continued studying the planet and the base, soaking up everything she could.

"Lieutenant?"

Marina looked up. "Yes, West?"

"Could you navigate for a while? I need to get some of the security and medical packs ready."

"Sure." Marina stood and went to the front of the small ship to sit in the navigator's chair. She had always been good at navigating. "How are we doing, sir?" she asked Worf, who was piloting the ship.

"We are on schedule," he answered confidently. "It looks like everything will go as planned."

Marina glanced down at the readings. Sure enough, they were perfectly on time.

"How's it going, lieutenant?" came Kira's voice from behind her.

Before she could answer, Marina heard Jake Harris say, "Still pining over that little doctor?"

"Yes," she answered smoothly. "But I'm fine, Harris. No need to be concerned about me."

"Yeah, Harris. Get back there and help West with our packs," Kira ordered.

The sulky ensign muttered something under his breath, but swiftly obeyed, obviously cowed by Marina's nonchalance and sarcasm.

"So you're really fine?" Kira moved to stand between Marina and Worf.

"I'm all right." Marina kept her eyes on her readings. "Still a bit… disoriented from that crazy dream…"

Kira narrowed her eyes. "The one you were telling Jake?"

"Yeah."

"You sure do have some strange dreams, Marina." The Bajoran crossed her arms, frowning. "Didn't you say that you thought they might be visions? Isn't that what you talked to Sisko about?"

Marina nodded and punched a few buttons. "Yes, but I hope they're not." She suddenly looked up. There it was. Catronis. It had probably been there forever, but she had been so busy that she hadn't noticed. It was close now, a huge sphere of white and blue on the horizon, somewhat like Earth and somewhat like Neptune. It made her catch her breath. "Oh. Wow. It's… beautiful." Then suddenly, a wave of feelings washed over her, none of them here own. And none of them good. Anxiety, fear, despair… _There's something wrong._

"Marina, what is it?" Kira asked.

Marina sat back in her chair, her face pale. "There is something wrong. Something on the planet. I can feel it. So many emotions… Not good ones…"

"Let me navigate. You get back to your station and get some readings. Maybe we can find out what's going on before we land." Kira nodded towards Marina's station. "Go."

Marina stood and ran to her chair, quickly clicking keys and buttons. She hurriedly began scanning the planet. Everything appeared normal at first. She quickly found the base and scanned for life forms. There were thirty humanoids, all healthy. She backed up her scans to include the area around Catronis 6. _Oh no… _ "Major, Lt. Commander… I'm picking up a large cluster of life forms _outside _of the base."

"What kind?" Kira called back.

"It looks like large animals, mammal-like, all healthy… No, wait." Marina frowned. "Some of them are sick. Really sick."

"We are entering the atmosphere," Worf said suddenly.

"Everyone, prepare for landing," Kira called. She repeated the call into the com system, and suddenly everyone was on the bridge at their stations.

"West, Harris--are the packs ready?" Worf asked.

"Yes, sir," said Hannah.

"Weapons, Garcia?"

"Everything checks out, sir."

"Marina, how about those readings?" Kira asked worriedly.

Marina felt another nauseating wave of negative emotions, this time with a large dose of anger. "Kira, something's wrong!"

"Well, find it out!" Kira snapped.

"I think--I think the base is surrounded. Oh! Oh _no_!"

"What is it?"

"Major, there are other humanoids on Catronis! They're approaching the landing zone!" Marina spun in her chair, her hair whipping around her shoulders. "Worf, I think they're waiting for us!"

The ship shuddered as it hit the atmosphere.

"A welcoming party?" Worf asked, frowning.

"No." Marina couldn't keep her voice from shaking. "All thirty Federation officers are inside the compound." She peered closely at her readings. "Oh my gosh. There are Cardassians. And JemHadar spelling?."

"It's a trap! Pull back Worf!" Kira cried.

"I can't!" Worf shouted, fighting for control of the ship.

"What's wrong?" Jake called from his seat.

"The wind is too hard!"

There was a booming noise, and the ship shook violently.

"They're firing at us!" Garcia shouted. "I'm raising shields!"

"Return fire, too!" Kira called.

Before Garcia could do anything, another blast hit the ship. Sparks flew everywhere. Garcia was thrown to the ground.

Marina flung herself to her knees beside him.

"We're going to have to land somewhere else!" Kira exclaimed.

"I'm trying!" Worf shouted. He desperately jerked on the controls, trying to steer away from the landing area.

Just as the _Longfellow_ was almost out of range of whatever was firing at it, another blast hit the ship.

Marina bent over Garcia's still form, shielding him with her body. Her ears rang with screams and crashes, her stomach felt sick from the rate of speed at which the ship was dropping, and her mind screamed with the emotions of those around her.

(LINE)

"I wonder what Marina is doing right now." Julian leaned languidly and elegantly on the table, staring off into the distance.

"They should be on the planet by now," Dax spoke up. She sighed. "I miss Worf."

"And Kira. And Marina. And even Jake. Yeah, me, too." Miles sat back in his chair. "Molly ran up to me today and said, 'Hey, daddy, where are Marina and Aunt Nerys? I drew some pictures for them, and I haven't seen them today.'" He shook his head. "It's sad."

Julian frowned. "I still don't understand why Starfleet didn't ask Sisko to send a medical officer with the team. That doesn't make much sense."

"There are lots of medical officers on Catronis already, Julian," Dax explained.

"I know, I know." Julian leaned back in his chair. "I'm just worried. I've got a bad feeling about this mission."

"You just don't like having Marina so far from you," Miles suggested, lifting his glass to his friend. "I'm always a bit nervous when Keiko's gone."

"Maybe…" Julian sighed irritably. He was momentarily distracted by the sight of Quark and Odo arguing over something at the bar. Even the Ferengi missed Marina, and Odo certainly did as well. It just wasn't right for her to be gone. It was bloody _wrong_. "I just wish I could know that she is all right."

"They should send some sort of report soon," Dax said. "Something to tell us they arrived safely."

Julian was quiet, running his thumb idly up the side of his glass. His thoughts wandered. He had once been in love with Dax, but now… He was worried sick about Marina, and Dax felt the same about Worf, her husband. _At least she probably told him she loved him. And he probably said it back…_ He felt his throat start to tighten and promptly cleared it.

Miles glanced at his friend. _He probably feels extra bad for not telling her he loves her_, he thought. _Poor Julian._

(LINE)

Marina dared to open her eyes. And then almost wished she hadn't.

The _Longfellow_'s bridge was utterly destroyed. It looked like a mass of broken and tangled wires, smoke, and smashed machinery. And then there were the bodies…

__

Dear God, help us.

"Is everyone all right?" Marina called anxiously.

There was a shadow of movement in the smoke. "I am fine. I cannot speak for the others." Worf stepped into view, looking dazed. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"And Garcia?"

Marina suddenly remembered the man she cradled in her lap. "Carlos?" she whispered, bending down to look at him. She was relieved to find that he was breathing, but he didn't stir. He sported a large bruise on his forehead, and Marina could see burns on his chest through the holes in his uniform. "Garcia is hurt," she called to Worf, who had moved out of sight in search of the others.

"I've found Major Kira. She is unconscious, but seems to only have a small cut on her head."

"I'm all right."

Marina sighed in relief. Jake. "Jake, see if you can find the others!" she called. She looked around for the medical packs Harris and Hannah had prepared. She spotted one lying on its side nearby and grabbed it.  
"Worf, Jake, see if you can find medical packs." She opened up the pack and pulled out a medical tricorder. "Don't worry, Carlos," she said quietly. "I'll take care of you." She remembered suddenly how he had followed Harris' lead in teasing her and Julian, then quickly pushed the memory out of her mind. This man was hurt badly. This was no time to be holding grudges.

"Harris is okay, just twisted his ankle," Jake called through the smoke, which was suddenly starting to clear.

It was getting cold inside the crashed ship, and Marina could hear the wind roaring outside. She shivered.

"Ensign West has broken her arm," Worf said. Marina could see him now; he was bending over Hannah, holding a medical tricorder. Hannah was conscious, but badly shaken.

"Jake, are you working with Harris?" Marina called.

"Yeah."

Marina turned back to Carlos. According to the tricorder, he had a concussion, a cracked collarbone, and second-degree burns. Marina was reaching into the medical pack when Worf said the fateful words.

"We need to send a distress signal, then immediately abandon this position. If they shot us down, they will come after us. They won't want to leave us alive."


	10. If She Ever Sees Him Again

Chapter Ten

"What do you mean 'the distress signal isn't working?'" Kira asked, sitting up and putting a hand to her head. She felt the bandage on her forehead and quickly pulled her hand back.

Marina and Worf looked back at her from the distress signal controls. "It isn't working," Worf repeated, sounding very frustrated.

"Are you all right, major?" Marina asked.

"I'm fine. Hey--you're bleeding!" Kira exclaimed.

"What?" Marina looked down at herself, and sure enough, her left arm was covered in blood. "I didn't notice." She crawled on her hands and knees to the medical kit beside Carlos Garcia's prone form. "I think it's just a scratch."

"It's bleeding pretty badly, lieutenant," Kira said worriedly.

"I'll be fine." Marina ran the tricorder over her arm. The cut on her arm was long, but not very deep. She breathed a sigh of relief and ripped off her torn sleeve, then began bandaging her forearm.

"Any ideas on what to do, major?" Worf spoke up.

Kira sighed and stood slowly, stretching. "We should try to get to Catronis 6 as soon as possible. If Marina's planetary readings were correct, we were shot down by a team from the Dominion. They won't just let us sit here. They're probably looking for us now. We have to get to that base and send out a distress call."

"But how are we going to get all the hurt people there?" Jake spoke up.

Everyone was quiet.

"I don't want to leave Carlos," Hannah spoke up. "He's in pretty bad shape."

Marina bent over to check the wounded ensign. His condition had not changed, for better or for worse. _Julian, what would you do?_

"I can't--I can't just stay here." Harris paced up and down, limping noticeably. "I can't just stay and wait for those goons to get here and kill us. That--that--no. I can't."

Kira narrowed her eyes on him. "Calm down, Harris. We have to think of a plan."

"Perhaps this place is easily defendable," Worf suggested. "We need to go outside and look. Possibly, we could repair the communication equipment. And if we must, we could fight."

Harris stopped pacing. "Fight?"

"Yes."

"Uh… no… I don't think I could--"

"Harris, pull yourself together!" Kira exclaimed. "You're a security officer! You know how to fight--and if we have to, you will fight."

Harris sat down, scowling.

Marina sensed some dark emotion coming from the angry ensign--something deeper than just anger. "Harris," she spoke up softly. "Carlos is your friend. Think of him. We may need someone to stay here and guard him or something."

"Shut up!" Harris shouted. "I don't take advice from _freaks_."

Before the shocked Marina could react, Worf leaped to his feet. "That is enough, ensign," he said, his voice steely. "She is your superior officer. Show some respect."

Harris didn't say a word. He stood slowly and turned his back to the others, retreating to the back of the ship, to his damaged cabin.

"What a jerk," Kira muttered.

"So what do we do, guys?" Jake asked.

Everyone was quiet.

Then Kira spoke up. "We need to send someone to get to the base. Somebody has to get there and send out a distress signal. And if this place is easily defended, some of us could stay here with the wounded."

"Good plan," Worf agreed.

Marina was quiet. The noise of the wind reminded her of that awful dream she had experienced. Perhaps it _had _been a vision.

"Lt. Richardson, why don't you and Worf go check out the area?" Kira said.

Marina glanced down at Carlos. "I don't want to leave--"

"I'll look after him." Hannah scooted across the floor to kneel beside the wounded young man, her arm stiff in its sling. "Go on, Marina."

"Thank-you." Marina stood. "Let's go."

(LINE)

"Shouldn't they have sent us word by now?" Dax asked Sisko, frowning. They stood in the captain's office, waiting for a message from Catronis 6. "They've been there for at least two hours now."

"Perhaps they were delayed." Sisko rubbed his chin, then sighed. "But they shouldn't have been. They should be there, and they should have sent us a message."

Dax could tell that he was very frustrated--and very worried about his son. "I'm worried, too," she said quietly.

Sisko gave her a tired smile.

"Any word?" Julian slipped into the office, quiet and agile as a cat.

"None," Dax said softly.

Julian frowned. "Can we contact the base?"

"I just sent a message to them, asking if our party arrived," Sisko explained. "We should get a reply any time now."

Dax looked up from her station. "Captain, someone from Catronis 6 wants to speak with you," she said excitedly.

"Onscreen." Sisko sat quickly at his desk, shadowed by the doctor.

The face of a middle-aged man appeared on the screen. He looked worried--and frightened. "Captain Sisko, your team is not here," he said quickly. "And we need them desperately. Everything is going crazy! Our control on the weather is weakening, and the native animal life is going mad, attacking everything! And there are Cardassian and JemHadar--here! On our planet!"

"Have you seen any sign of our ship?" Sisko asked.

"Something large fell from the sky nearly twenty miles from the landing area. We aren't sure what it was." His face was grim. "It could be your ship."

"You are Commander Caldwell, I presume?"

"Yes, captain."

"Commander, you need to send a rescue party to find my crew!" Sisko exclaimed.

"We cannot--"

"You must!"

Julian found that he was squeezing the back of the captain's chair so hard, his knuckles were going white.

"Captain Sisko, we cannot leave the compound. Not with those wild animals out there. And the wind is very difficult to manage in."

"Then don't expect my people to come help you," Sisko replied, his voice cold. "If you don't go to them, they may never make it to you."

Caldwell frowned thoughtfully, then sighed. "We'll see what we can do, captain. Caldwell out." The screen went black.

"Captain, we have to do something," Julian said quickly. "We can't just leave our team--our friends--down there."

Sisko closed his eyes, setting his elbows on the desk. He leaned his chin on his hands. "I suppose you want to take a shuttle to look for them."

Julian nodded. "Yes."

Dax raised her hand. "Me, too, captain."

Sisko looked from one to the other, his gaze finally settling on Julian. "Dr. Bashir, you are working on a very serious project."

"It's nearly finished. I can complete it when I return." Julian walked around the desk to face the captain. "There were no medical officers on that ship, Sisko." He slapped his palms down on the desk and leaned towards Sisko. "They could be dying. You have to send me."

"And me," Dax added.

"And the chief."

"The chief?" Sisko raised an eyebrow.

"Repairs will need to be done," Dax said quickly. "Please, Ben. Think of your son."

"He is as much in my mind as Marina and Worf are in yours." Sisko stood. "In one hour, if we have received no word from the crew of the _Longfellow_, I will send the two of you and Chief O'Brien on a rescue mission to Catronis."

Julian straightened, trying to remain calm. _Oh, God, please don't let anything happen to the woman I love… Let me get there in time… _"Thank-you, captain."

One hour later, Julian, Dax, and Miles climbed aboard a shuttle and set out for Catronis.

(LINE)

The landscape was just as it had been in her dream. Well, what she could see of it. She could barely open her eyes because of the wind.

"Here." Worf handed Marina a pair of orange-tinted goggles.

Marina slipped the goggles on and looked at Worf. Any other time, she would have laughed at the sight of a Klingon in goggles and a thick jacket, but now was not a time to laugh. Absently, she thought of that Bible passage about times and seasons. _"A time to laugh, a time to weep." _Was it a time to weep? It certainly wasn't time to laugh.

"What do you think, lieutenant?" Worf asked.

Marina gazed out across the windswept beach. The sky was dark gray, the water darker blue. There were a few twisted trees here and there. She turned to face the other horizon. It was bright green, a meadow. There was a huge shadow in the distance, purplish against the sky. Mountains. "Catronis 6 is back that way." She pointed towards the mountains.

"Yes." Worf glanced around nervously. "This is a very open area. There is nowhere for any attackers to hide, but neither is there any cover for us."

Marina shivered. "So what do we do?"

"There is little we can do. One or two of us should try to reach the base for help. The others will _have _to wait here."

"I know. There is no way Carlos or Hannah will make it to the base. We're--what?--fifteen miles from the landing area?"

Worf nodded solemnly. "You, Jake Sisko, and I are in the best condition. Perhaps the three of us should head for Catronis 6."

Marina lifted a pair of binoculars to her eyes. "I'll go. I don't mind going."

"Your willingness to face danger is very honorable," Worf said suddenly. "It will be an honor to die beside you if it comes to that."

Marina smiled at him. "The same to you," she said.

"We should return to the ship," the Klingon said abruptly.

Marina nodded. "Yes. Let's." _This situation seems so hopeless_, she thought as she followed Worf back to the _Longfellow._ _Will I ever see Julian again?_

When she walked onto the battered bridge, Marina felt fear and anxiety coming from the others; she could even see it. Kira stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a blackened wall. Jake sat in his chair, hanging his head. Harris paced restlessly, still limping, still glaring darkly. Hannah was asleep on a thermal blanket, curled up next to Carlos.

"Aren't we a cheerful group?" Kira said dryly, as if reading Marina's thoughts.

The doors closed with a slam behind Marina and Worf, making everyone jump. Hannah sat up groggily, and Carlos stirred.

"M-marina?"

Marina knelt quickly beside him, reaching for the medical kit she had been carrying. "Yes, Carlos?"

"Was I just dreaming, or have you been taking care of me?" He squinted up at her, his long lashes fluttering.

"I've been caring for you, me and Hannah." Marina ran the medical tricorder over his body. "Looks like you're doing a little better. Do you think you can sit up?"

"I'd like to try," Carlos said.

Marina nodded to Hannah, and the two young women helped Carlos sit up.

Carlos winced and held his breath for a moment, but soon relaxed after Marina administered a pain killer. "Thank-you… Marina." He looked up at her, his brown eyes wet with tears. "I mistreated you so badly--you and Dr. Bashir. And yet… here you are helping me. I'm--I'm sorry."

Jake Harris stopped pacing. "Carlos! You--you…" He balled his hands into fists. "How could you apologize to that--that _freak_?"

"Shut up, Harris!" Kira exclaimed. "And sit down! That's an order!"

Harris sat down hard in the nearest seat.

Marina shot him an icy look, then turned to Carlos. "You're a human being. And so am I. I can't ignore that. Julian wouldn't either." She helped him scoot back against the wall, then leaned closer to whisper, "And I think you were just going along with Harris, anyway. I don't think you're like him."

A smile lit up Carlos' handsome features.

Marina thought Hannah would melt

Melt… _That's what I'm going to do when I see Julian--melt in his arms. That is… _if _I ever see him again._ Marina swallowed down the sob that was tightening her throat. "Come on, Carlos," she said, her voice a bit hoarse. "Let's see if you can stand."


	11. Is He There Yet?

Chapter Eleven

"How long until we reach the planet?" Julian asked. He was nervously twiddling his thumbs as he sat in the shuttle.

"About two hours." Dax frowned down at her controls. "I'm getting us there as fast as possible." She sighed. "I know. It doesn't seem to be fast enough."

"But what if it isn't?"

No one answered Julian's question. Dax just concentrated on piloting the shuttle, and Miles kept checking on his equipment--over and over.

Julian felt utterly useless. He propped an elbow up on one of the control panels and rested his chin in his hand. _Marina… I wish you could hear me_, he thought. He thought it hard, hoping that maybe she could. _Dear God, I hope you're all right. I feel like a complete idiot for not telling you that I love you, that I'm in love with you. I love the way you blush, the way you bite you're lip, the way you toss your hair over your shoulder. I love it when you touch my face, when you hold me close, when you kiss me… I love you…_

(LINE)

Marina's head snapped up. She felt suddenly dizzy. Had she just imagined that? Or had she just picked up on the feelings and some of the thoughts of Dr. Julian Bashir? She sat down on the floor of the ship, feeling suddenly warm, despite the cold air that seeped through the cracks. "Julian…" She smiled as she whispered his name, and sent her thoughts desperately at him. _Julian, I think I felt you longing for something, maybe for me. And I think I heard you thinking about me, about what you like about me. I only picked up on bits and pieces, but… It was enough--enough to inspire me…_

"Ready to go?" Kira slid around the corner, wearing a jacket and a backpack.

"Yes." Marina stood. She was similarly attired in a thermal jacket, carrying a pack full of medical supplies and other useful things. And of course, she had a pair of orange goggles around her neck. She followed Kira to the door of the ship.

"Be careful," Worf said, escorting the two women to the door. He had decided that it would be best for him to stay with the others, as he would be best able to defend them. Kira and Marina had volunteered to try to reach Catronis 6.

"We will be," Kira replied. She glanced at Marina. The young science officer was fingering the silver clip she always wore and peering through one of the cracks in the side of the damaged ship. "Let's go, Richardson."

Marina turned to the senior officer and nodded. "Yes, ma'am." She adjusted the pack on her shoulders, then turned to look back into the bridge. Carlos and Hannah were sitting together. Harris was limp-pacing, as usual. Jake Sisko caught her glance and waved. Marina waved back.

Kira opened the door and stepped out into the wind. Marina followed, smiling bravely at Worf as the Klingon closed the door. It shut with a bang, making Marina jump.

"Goggles," Kira said quickly, sliding her pair over her already wind-dried eyes.

Marina followed suite. "The base is that way," she informed the Bajoran woman, pointing behind the ruined _Longfellow._ "Across that meadow, nestled in those mountains."

"Lead the way," Kira said.

Marina nodded to her and started towards the meadow, walking into the wind. She was immediately impatient. The wind was strong, and the sand beneath her feet made every step feel like two. She wanted to be at Catronis 6, wanted to be able to send Julian a message, wanted to _see_ Julian, wanted to _touch _him.

"So… we'll be walking for quite a long time," Kira spoke up. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other better."

Marina smiled. Good. Something to keep her mind off of her darned impatience. "Yes. I guess so." Then her feet hit the grass. Finally. "So, tell me about yourself Kira. I hear you were part of the Bajoran Resistance."

And so for the next few hours, Kira recounted her past to Marina--even the things she did not like telling people she didn't know, even the things she had told no one else. She found it easy to talk to the young officer walking in front of her. Marina was a good listener, and there was something about her that made Kira _want _to confide in her. Finally, Kira said, "And that's about it." She stopped walking and looked around. "Marina, let's take a break here."

The two women stood in a small patch of twisted trees that just sprung up out of the plains. For miles around, all that could be seen was grassland, and then, in the direction they were headed, mountains.

Marina sat down under one of the trees and reached into her pack for a heater. She set the little device between herself and Kira. "This should warm us up for awhile," she said. "How long do you think we should stay here?"

"We've walked pretty far, a couple of miles, I'd say. We should rest here for a few minutes to regain our strength ." She leaned against one of the trees and closed her eyes. "How did you get to be such a good listener, lieutenant?" she asked suddenly.

Marina blinked. "I guess it's the Betazoid in me. Or maybe it's just that my pointy ears pick up sound better."

Kira laughed. "I'll go with the first idea. So, tell me about yourself--you and Julian, your psychogenotrosis, any strange habits, confessions."

Marina thought for a moment, then smiled, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I have two teddy bears that I loved dearly."

Kira opened her eyes and looked at the girl. "That's no deep, dark secret."

"No, not really, but…"

"Ah. The plot thickens. Continue."

"The newer one is a polar bear, Archibald Reginald Richardson--Archie for short. And the older one is white with little colorful stars all over him and button eyes--that's Nupenberry, my first teddy bear."

"Nupenberry? That sounds a name Julian would give something. What does he call his teddy bear? Kooca… looka… I give up. Go on."

Marina laughed. "One night, I had this really violent dream, and when I woke up, Nupenberry was lying on the floor--with both of his arms ripped off."

The two women laughed hysterically.

"Marina! I've never thought of you as a violent person!" Kira exclaimed, wiping at her eyes.

"I never thought of myself as one either. But you know, I _can _be quite… How can I put it? Quite… tough, I guess, if I have to be." She fingered the silver hair clip absently, her voice suddenly quiet. "And I've had to be."

"Because you're different?" Kira asked, also suddenly sober.

"Yes. I had a wonderful childhood, don't get me wrong, but…" Marina shook her head. "I never was accepted, really, by the other kids my age. I had to learn to play by myself, stand up for myself. They were a bit scared of me, I think--intimidated. That's why I was so happy at Deep Space Nine. I was accepted, for the first time in my life."

"Julian is very good to you, isn't he?" Kira asked quietly.

"Yes. Very. I miss him. So much." Marina sighed and looked up at the greenish-blue sky. He was out there somewhere, longing for her… She had felt it…

The two officers sat in silence for awhile, regaining their strength. Marina took water packets out of her pack, and they drank some.

"I think it's time we moved on." Kira stood and stretched.

Marina packed up the water and the heater and also stood. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Once again, Marina led the way towards Catronis 6.

(LINE)

Dax turned around and caught the look on Julian's face. "Don't even say it Julian. Yes, we're almost there."

Julian closed his mouth. Then opened it again to say, with an impish smile, "Are we there yet?"

Miles snorted a laugh.

"Actually," Dax said slowly, "Yes, we are. Look."

Julian fairly ran to the cockpit. There it was--Catronis, a beautiful spot of color in the black and white sky. Marina had probably thought it beautiful as well. She loved colors. _Where are you, Marina? _"Are we close enough for bio scans?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

Julian hurried to run a scan of the planet. "I'm picking up multiple life forms, mostly centered around what I believe must be Catronis 6. Looks like a small party just left the base, headed for the nearest beach."

Miles came to stand behind him. "And what about the rest of them?"

Julian frowned. "Oh. Oh no." He felt the blood drain from his face. "Jem'Hadar and Cardassians. The Dominion is on this planet." He hurriedly pushed buttons, trying to find Marina. "Aha! Here we have a Klingon and a couple of humans, gathered together."

"Worf," Dax said, steering the shuttle towards the planet's surface. "Give me the coordinates of that group, Chief."

As Miles gave Dax the coordinates, Julian concentrated on finding Marina and Kira.

"Aha! Here they are!" Julian exclaimed joyously. "I've found them! Kira and Marina are together, and they're headed for…" He was suddenly silent.

"What?" Miles cried. "What are they headed for?"

"I think they're trying to reach the base," Julian said quietly. "But they're going to run into Dominion forces on the way, as is the party from Catronis 6." He spun in his chair so that he could see the planet. "Hurry, Dax. This may be disastrous."

(LINE)

Catronis' sun was setting.

"Can we continue in the dark, Nerys?" Marina asked worriedly, as she and Kira stopped in the middle of a meadow of purple flowers.

Kira pushed her goggles up onto her forehead. "I don't think so," she said. "The wind has died down, but… It's getting colder, and I'm beginning to get the feeling that most of the animals here are nocturnal."

"Or either they're at the base," Marina said thoughtfully.

"We should probably rest until the sun rises. How long will that be?"

Marina thought back on all the facts she had learned about the planet. "About six Earth hours."

Kira set her pack down. "All right. That will have to do. We haven't seen any sign of those Jem'Hadar or Cardassians. So hopefully they've given up on us."

Marina was quiet, reaching out with her mind, trying to pick up something. Then, it hit her. She grabbed Kira's arm. "Pick up your pack, major. We've got to head for cover."

(LINE)

The shuttle from Deep Space nine set down beside a small grove of twisted trees. Julian was the first one to set foot outside. The strength and chilliness of the wind took his breath away, and he had to turn his face to catch his breath. "It's terribly windy out here!" he called to the others. "Better bring the cold weather gear." He shaded his eyes, held his breath, and turned to peer through the wind. Between the twisted trees, he could see vast meadows and the shadows of rocky mountains. The sky was a pale blue-green color, and there were a few pink clouds hovering over the horizon.

Miles stepped out of the shuttle, wearing a thermal jacket and carrying one. "Here you are," he said, handing the jacket to Julian. He ducked his head against the wind. "My, but it's windy out here!"

"Just like in Marina's dream," Dax added. She was also wearing a jacket, and she carried three pairs of goggles.

Julian narrowed his eyes. Yes, she _had _dreamed of a windy planet. Was this simply coincidence? It couldn't be.

Within minutes, the three Federation officers had gathered together all the supplies they would need for their mission.

"The _Lonfellow _crashed in that direction," Dax said, pointing, her back to the wind. "We should head towards it."

"Wait. What about Kira and Marina?" Julian spoke up.

Dax and Miles looked at each other, then at Julian.

"What? Don't tell me we're going to just--to just _abandon_ them! They're headed straight for that Dominion team--and they probably don't have a clue!" Julian frowned. "But then--someone was probably injured in the crash. That's why we're headed for the ship… isn't it?"

Dax nodded. "Yes. And we're too small a party to split up." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Julian."

"Sorry? Sorry? The woman I love may be captured by the Dominion, and all you can say is 'sorry?'" Julian exclaimed sarcastically.

Dax and Miles were quiet.

Julian ran a hand down his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--I shouldn't have said that. "

"It's okay," Miles said quietly. "Hey, if you want, _I'll _go after her. I'll--"

"No, Chief. They'll need to you to help repair the _Longfellow_," Dax pointed out. She thought for a moment. "_I _could go."

"No," Julian firmly replied. "You need to get to Worf. And what can one person do anyway?"

They were all quiet.

"But we can't just leave Marina and Kira out there," Julian spoke up. "We have to find some way of communicating with them."

"Yeah, and without revealing our position to the enemy," Miles added glumly.

"If only our communicators would work out here…" Dax mused.

Miles snorted. "This atmosphere… No. They won't work."

"But, if we could…"

Julian stopped paying attention to their argument, lost in his thoughts, racking his intelligent mind for a plan.

"No, that won't work either," Miles said to Dax after she told him her idea, shaking his head.

Julian looked up at the sky, looked at the tops of the trees… and smiled. He looked at his two friends. "I have an idea."

(Author's Note: Just as a note of interest, the whole Nupenberry story is true. The real Nupenberry has no arms. Because of me. It's tragic.)


	12. Fear, Anyone?

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! It is because of you that every chapter is posted. You inspire me!

Chapter Twelve

Marina and Kira crouched behind a large, bluish gray rock at the edge of the meadow, which ended in hard red clay.

"How many of them?" Kira whispered, her hand hovering over the phaser in her belt.

Marina closed her eyes and picked up on the enemies' thoughts. "About ten, I'd say. Not a large party--and not all of the Dominion forces on this planet--but enough." _Enough to finish us off…_

Kira was quiet for a moment, trying to think up a plan. "We have to get around them and get to Catronis 6," she said quietly. "Do you think you could use your mind powers to do anything?"

Marina felt nervous. "I don't know. I've never really tried anything… aggressive. I was always scared to."

"Well you're going to have to try something," Kira said firmly. "I can't think of anything else we can do right now." She drew her phaser and scooted back against the rock. "How far away are they?"

"I'd say… maybe a quarter of a mile." Marina's voice shook.

"So, if we leave this cover, they'll probably see us?"

"Yes."

Kira sighed. "Marina, have you ever done anything like this before?"

Marina shook her head.

"No real combat?"

"No. Just simulators and stuff like that."

"Just listen to me. Do as I say."

"I'll do that anyway." Marina cracked a smile, albeit a nervous one. "You outrank me, _major_."

Kira smiled, too. "That's right, lieutenant, I do. Now look, you're going to have to do _something_ with your psychogenotrosis, or it's going to be ten of them versus two of us."

"I'll try my best, Kira," Marina whispered. "But I can't promise that whatever I do will work."

"Then I hope you're good with a phaser," Kira said grimly.

(LINE)

"There we are. That should do it." Miles stepped back, his hands on his hips, his smile proud. "So what do you think?"

"It's not pleasing to the eye, that's for sure," Julian said dryly, eyeing the satellite contraption Miles had built. "But it will do…I hope."

"Well, it was your idea. If it fails, it's your fault," Miles said, grinning at his friend.

"No, no. _You _built the bloody thing. It will be _your _fault if it doesn't work." Julian smiled crookedly, daring to hope. "Well… Go ahead and start it up."

"And hurry," Dax added. "It's getting dark."

Miles reached down to punch a button. The tall, slender metal construction, made of various equipment the party found on the shuttle, suddenly came alive with a static sound.

"What does that mean?" Julian asked impatiently.

"It's picking up on any equipment that could be used to communicate with," Miles explained. "We can transmit signals through communicators that usually wouldn't work in this atmosphere. And not just communicators. The way I've got this little beauty set up, we can transmit signals to almost _anything_."

"Good. So… is it working?"

Miles crouched down beside the satellite. "Should be. I think it's picking up on something…" He messed with the controls, tuning in the signal. "Looks like it's… that way." He pointed.

Julian frowned. "That's where the _Longfellow _went down."

"Hurry, Miles," Dax urged.

The engineer rotated the satellite a bit, then watched the control panel. "Aha! There!" He pointed toward the mountains. "There's some sort of electronic equipment out that way."

"It has to be Marina and Nerys," Dax said excitedly.

Julian crossed his arms. "_Or _the Jem'Hadar."

They were all quiet for a moment.

Miles shook his head. "I don't think, so, Julian," he said. "This kind of construction probably doesn't even operate on the same wavelength as Jem'Hadar equipment."

"And Cardassian?" Dax asked.

"I don't think something this primitive would work with that either. It's specifically designed to pick up on Federation signals." Miles gave Julian an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

(LINE)

Kira and Marina could hear the enemy party now, the harsh laughs of the Cardassians and the low grunts of the Jem'Hadar.

"All right, Marina… You have to do something," Kira whispered.

"Reach into my pack," Marina said. "Get out my pocket knife and my goggles."

"What?"

"Trust me."

Kira looked askance at her friend, but hurried to retrieve the items from the pack. "Now what?"

"My knife has a little light on it. Slide the goggles far away from us and shine the light on them."

Kira smiled. "Good plan. A distraction." She quietly slid the goggles over the packed clay, just far enough away, then held up the little pocket knife. "Here goes nothing," she muttered. Squeezing her eyes closed and pleading with the Prophets, Kira pressed and held the light button.

The narrow beam of light reflected brightly off the orange surface of the goggles.

"Over there! A light!"

"Good thing they didn't see the beam," Kira whispered to Marina. "Now you'd better do your thing--and quick."

Feeling nervous, but determined, Marina closed her eyes and reached out with her thoughts. Her mind brushed against those of the ten men in the Dominion party. Random thoughts and emotions hit her like a solid wall, but she shut her mind to them, concentrating instead on what _she _was projecting.

Fear. Stark fear.

Marina sent a steady stream of it at all ten men. She was satisfied when she heard one of the Cardassians say, "Sir? What's _out _there?"

Kira reached out and squeezed Marina's shoulder, letting her know that she understood what was happening.

"I think there's a wild animal out there," one of the Cardassians muttered.

Marina took that thought and ran with it, sending the image of glowing eyes to the Dominion team, making them all think they had seen eyes out of the corners of their eyes. She smiled as she felt them begin to back off. It was working.

Then, suddenly, Kira's communicator beeped.

Marina was startled and momentarily lost focus. The Dominion team started to break free of their fears.

"I'll handle this," Kira whispered quickly. "You just concentrate on scaring them off."

Marina nodded and hurried to resume her projections of frightening images, playing on the fears of her enemies.

(LINE)

"Who is this?"

"Major Kira! It's the Chief!" Miles exclaimed into the speaker of the homemade satellite.

"Chief? What are you doing here?" Kira whispered furiously in reply.

"We're here to rescue you--me and Dax and Julian," Miles explained.

"Good," Kira replied. "We need rescuing. Marina and I are hiding from the Dominion team. She's holding them off with her mind powers."

"Marina! Is she all right?" Julian asked excitedly.

"Fine, aside from a cut on her arm," Kira said.

"A cut? Could you tell me--?"

"Julian, we don't have time. We're trapped."

"What about the others at the shuttle? How are they?" Dax asked.

"All of them are all right except for Garcia. He sustained some pretty bad injuries in the crash. And I think Harris might be going stir crazy."

Julian rocked back on his heels. Carlos Garcia. The one who had followed Jake Harris' lead in teasing Marina. Carlos was hurt. And Marina was in danger. And they were in opposite directions.

"What do you need us to do, Nerys?" Dax asked.

"There are only about ten of these guys. A little firepower would be nice."

"Is Garcia in really serious condition?" Julian asked.

"Yes, but he's stable. Look, we don't have time to chat! Marina is doing all that she can, but I don't know if that will be enough!"

(LINE)

Marina tried not to listen to Kira's conversation with the rescue party. But she could not ignore it, especially when she heard Julian's unmistakable British-accented voice. It made her throat tighten.

Kira saw Marina's eyes begin to open and hissed, "Concentrate!"

Marina nodded quickly and thought hard at the Dominion party.

"When can you get here?" Kira whispered into her communicator.

"I'd say… in a few minutes," came Miles' Irish brogue.

"Hurry," Kira replied, daring a glance around the edge of the rock. The enemy group was backing off, but they were still close enough for visual contact. And mere fear would not hold them off forever. "Kira out." As soon as she said the words, she wondered, _How on earth are they going to get here that fast?_

(LINE)

"I thought you _weren't _supposed to feel G-forces in this kind of shuttle," Julian remarked dryly from his seat--which he was basically plastered to.

Dax grinned. "That's only if you pilot it at standard speeds."

Miles rolled his eyes. "You're going to blow an engine if you keep it up."

"You _do _want to reach them in time, don't you?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Then why complain?"

Miles sighed. "Forget it. Just keep it up."

"Julian, start checking the scanners for bio signatures," Dax said.

"Aye, aye, captain," Julian replied, glancing down at the screens.

(LINE)

Marina continued feeding fear to the Dominion party, but it was _her _fear that they wouldn't eat it for long. "Nerys," she whispered tightly, "I think they're getting suspicious."

Kira tightened her grip on her phaser. "Miles, Julian, and Jadzia are on their way. Just keep up what you're doing--and draw your phaser."

Marina nodded, her eyes still shut tightly, and reached to draw her phaser.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy and nauseated. Something was wrong. "Major…" she whispered, surprised at the squeakiness of her voice.

Kira turned to look at her comrade. Her eyes went wide. The cut on Marina's arm was bleeding through the bandages, and the young science officer's lips had gone blue. "How long can you hold out?" Kira asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Marina managed. "I feel really sick."

"Hang on. Julian's on his way." Kira patted Marina's shoulder.

(LINE)

"Aha! Here they are!" Julian exclaimed joyously. "Dead ahead!"

"Wonderful! How long will it take us to reach them?" Dax asked.

"At the rate we are traveling… About forty seconds." Then Julian frowned. "What the--? Oh my God. It's Marina. There's some strange sort of… force coming from her. And it appears to be draining her energy…" The doctor clenched his teeth, fighting down his fear. _Please, God, let her be all right… _"Jadzia, we have to hurry."

"What do you think she's doing?" Miles replied.

Dax's face was uncommonly grim. "Julian, as soon as we land, you get to Marina and Kira. I'll fire the shuttles phasers. Miles, you get that satellite out there and contact Worf and the others. Got it?"

(LINE)

Marina suddenly stood up and set a large heater on top of the rock. Then she turned it on, and its light flared out around the rock.

"Lieutenant! Get down! That's an order!" Kira yelled.

"Trust… me…" Marina said between clenched teeth. She stepped out from behind the rock, her arms outstretched, her phaser in her belt. Kira stood with her, phaser pointed at the enemy.

The Jem'Hadar and Cardassians saw them immediately and raised their weapons.

"Surrender now and no harm will come to you," Marina called out to them, her eyes still closed. She did not need to see with them. She saw with her mind.

The Dominion team froze.

One of the Jem'Hadar spoke. "It's that human girl we're supposed to capture," he said.

"And she wants us to surrender. Ha!"

The leader of the Cardassian group stepped forward. "No. _You _surrender," he ordered.

"I warned you." Marina raised her arms.

A terrible cry rose up.

And Kira stared in shock as all ten enemy soldiers fell to the ground, writhing in pain.


	13. Reetan Gentanar

Chapter Thirteen

"What was _that_?" Dax exclaimed as she began to land the shuttle.

All three of the shuttle's passengers had felt some sort of force field flare up, then die down suddenly.

"It came from below us," Julian said, looking at the scanners. "I think it has to do with Marina."

Dax glanced back at him. The young doctor's eyes were wide. "Don't worry," the Trill assured him. "She'll be all right."

"I hope so," Julian said quietly.

(LINE)

Kira looked behind her. The shuttle was landing. It's light bathed the area like sunlight. She turned back around. The entire Dominion force was laid out on the red clay, unmoving. Marina just stood there, the wind whipping at her long hair, which had somehow come loose from its tie.

__

How did she do that? Kira wondered. _What awesome power does she possess?_

"They're alive," Marina said suddenly, her voice sounding small and terribly young. "I didn't kill them. I couldn't. With a phaser, maybe, I could have. But… against _that_--whatever I just did--they didn't stand a chance. It wouldn't have been fair."

Kira glanced back again. Miles was setting up some sort of satellite device. Dax was coming toward them. And Julian was already brushing past Kira, headed straight for Marina.

Marina felt his touch on her shoulder and knew it was him. "Oh, Julian," she whispered. "What _am _I?"

"The woman I love," he said softly.

Marina turned around and threw herself into his arms. "I've missed you so much," she whispered into his shoulder.

Julian smiled and stroked her hair. "I'd actually planned this the other way around. First you'd throw yourself at me, then I'd say that I loved you."

"I'm glad you love me," Marina said.

"So am I." He held her at arm's length, studying her face intently. "How is your arm?"

Marina held it up. "It's a bit bloody."

"Sit down," Julian said quickly. "I need to take a look at that."

Marina just stared at him.

"Marina?"

Her eyes suddenly closed and her knees buckled.

Julian caught her before she could fall and gently lowered her to the ground, his heart pounding. "Marina!" he called. "Can you hear me?"

She was totally unconscious.

"You tend to her, doctor," Kira said calmly. "Dax and I will take care of the prisoners."

Dax came up beside the Bajoran woman. "Miles has contacted the others and--" Her eyes went wide when she saw Marina on the ground. "What happened to her?" she exclaimed.

Julian had already opened his medical kit. "She's fainted from exhaustion and blood loss," he said quietly. "She'll be all right." _I'll make sure of it._ He gently re-bandaged her arm. "Go on and deal with the prisoners. I can take care of her."

Kira abruptly touched his shoulder. "You would have been proud of her," she said quietly.

"I am," said Julian. He looked down at Marina as Kira and Dax proceeded to secure the prisoners. "You'll be all right, love," he whispered, stroking her cheek.

Marina stirred slightly and whispered something in her sleep.

Julian frowned and leaned closer to her.

"Gentanar," she murmured again, frowning slightly.

Julian sat back. Gentanar… The name was somehow familiar…

(LINE)

Marina dreamed, of course. She dreamed she was standing on a cliff, and there was no wind. The cliff overlooked a gray-blue sea, calm and sparkling. Then a voice came to her. It seemed to be coming from the sea.

"Marina."

"Who's there?"

"Don't you remember?" Then the voice laughed.

Marina shivered. It was the man from her nightmare, the man in the shadows--the man she had kissed. "Yes," she answered quietly, hugging herself tightly. "I remember you. Show yourself."

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder.

Marina spun around. There stood a man, tall and blonde, with icy blue eyes. He was very handsome. But Marina didn't care. "Who are you? Why won't you leave me alone? Get out of my dream and let me wake up!" she exclaimed.

The man smiled crookedly. "So… have you realized yet that I am holding you in your dream?"

Marina swallowed. "You're holding me in my dream?"

"Yes. I am no figment of your imagination, no manifestation of a subconscious desire…" His grin broadened. "No, I am very real. And as you are beginning to realize, I am a very powerful man."

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?" Marina took one step back from him, glancing behind her to make sure she wasn't going over the cliff. This _was_ a dream, but… Who knew what this man could do?

"Don't worry. You can't _die _from falling off of a dream cliff." The man laughed.

"Stop laughing at me," Marina said coldly. She focused her thoughts on him, trying to probe his mind. She was very close when suddenly, her mind felt like it had been hit by a brick wall. She staggered back. "You're… you're not… normal, are you?" she asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Marina? I'm like you."

Marina was quiet.

"What… speechless?"

"Who are you?" Marina whispered.

"The name is Reetan Gentanar." The man bowed theatrically, reminding Marina oddly of Julian. "Heard of me?"

Marina searched her memory. "Actually, yes." She blinked. "Gentanar… My father told me about you. Weren't you the psychogenotron who went crazy and supposedly died ten years ago from some sort of experimental treatment?"

"That would be me. Call me Reetan, I beg of you."

"What do you want from me, _Gentanar_?" Marina snapped.

"I don't want anything _from _you. I want you."

"Me?" Marina asked squeakily. "What?"

"It gets lonely out there, Marina." Gentanar began pacing in front of her, this time reminding her of Ensign Harris. "We are different, you and I. These others--these _mortals_--they cannot fully understand us."

"Mortals? You idiot! We're mortal as well."

The psychogenotron stopped pacing and smiled at her. "I'm working on that one. And if you come with me, I'll share it with you--immortality."

"No thanks. I'd rather spend eternity in heaven--not on earth." Marina glared at him.

"Look, Marina. I've cut a deal with the Dominion. They're going to make me a god--and you a goddess, if you'll except."

Marina stood akimbo. "So, you want me to join you in becoming a Dominion pawn?"

Gentanar laughed softly. "You have it backwards, Marina. The chessboard will be ours. You and I will be king and queen, and the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar and the Vorta will be our pawns and rooks and knights and bishops."

"Nice. That little comparison worked out, didn't it?"

"Marina! I always thought you were a sweet, gentle, tender-hearted person," Gentanar chided.

"Not toward sick freaks like you," Marina muttered.

"I'm sure you're sweet with your doctor friend," the man said quietly.

Marina caught her breath.

"And isn't he just as much a freak as I am? Genetically altered and all that."

"Shut up. Leave him out of this. Let me go back."

"Tsk, tsk." Gentanar shook his head. "So touchy. Is this the easygoing, good-natured girl I fell for?" He reached out and touched her arm.

"If you're going to fall, why don't you jump off of this cliff?" Marina stepped out of his way.

Gentenar frowned suddenly. "You'll love me in time, Marina," he said, his voice low, like a growl.

"No." Marina shook her head. "I love Julian."

"So be it then." Gentenar reached out and brushed his fingers across her forehead.

(LINE)

Marina woke up, but did not open her eyes. She was almost afraid to. She could hear the Catronis wind whistling through _something. _And there was a crackling sound, oddly like fire. Yes, and wherever she was, it smelled like wood smoke. And it was warm. A campfire? Could it be? She slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Carlos Garcia's face. He was asleep, lying on a pallet beside the one she was lying on. His face was peaceful and free of pain; his chest rose and fell evenly.

Marina smiled. Julian. She sat up slowly, feeling exhausted and a bit dizzy.

"Marina! You're awake!" Julian was immediately at her side, his large, soulful dark eyes full of concern. He knelt beside her and gently took her hand, sliding his fingers against her wrist to check her pulse. "How are you feeling?" His voice was low and soft.

Marina tried to say something, but couldn't. She swallowed and just smiled at him.

"Are you all right?" He leaned forward to brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "What's the matter?"

She caught his hand in hers, holding his long, slender fingers against her face. "I'm--I'm so glad to see you. So glad you're… all right. I was--I was scared." She swallowed again against the tightness in her throat, angry at the tears springing to her eyes.

"Marina, darling… something's the matter. Tell me."

"I had another dream."

"Oh no."

"You're right. Oh no. There was this-this man. The same one I kissed in the other dream. His name is Gentanar, Reetan Gentanar. Does that name sound familiar to you?"

Julian thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. He was a psychogenotron. He went mad, supposedly because of some experimental treatment that was supposed to help him control his mind powers. He disappeared years ago and was presumed dead."

"That's the one." Marina took a deep breath. "Julian, he's alive. He's behind all this. He wants me to help him. He is trying to control the Dominion. I don't think it's world domination he's after. It's _worlds _domination. He is so powerful. I tried to read him, but I couldn't. He has… shields or something around his mind."

"Marina, if he wants you to help him, you must possess great power, as well," Julian said quietly, studying her eyes. "There are other psychogenotrons--few, yes--but…" He sighed. "There must be something special about you." He smiled suddenly. "And don't I know it." He softly kissed her forehead.

"Julian! How can you be so calm? This man is so powerful! He could destroy us--and by us, I mean the entire Federation!" She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes as his strong, slim arms went around her. "Julian, I am not afraid to die. But I am afraid to see all that is good, all that is right in the universe fall to someone like Reetan Gentanar."

Julian settled his cheek against her hair. She was trembling in his arms. He had never seen her this upset. "Marina, don't you worry. We can stop this man. We can tell the Federation, and--"

Marina suddenly drew back from him, her eyes wide. "Julian, I can feel it."

"Feel what, love?"

"He's here. On Catronis."


	14. The Door in the Ground

Darn. I forgot DS9 uses the metric system. I'm awful with the metric system, anyway. Probably, after I write the whole story, I'll go back and attempt to use my mad skills in math to fix the problem (haha).

Chapter Fourteen

"He's… here?" Julian cleared his throat and placed his hands on Marina's shoulders. "Gentanar is here?"

Marina nodded. "I just… felt him."

Julian stood and dragged her to her feet beside of him. "Marina… that means he can feel you, too." The young doctor looked around the wreckage of the _Longfellow._ "We have to get out of here. The shuttle can't hold everyone, so--"

Marina held a finger to his lips. "Julian, if he knows we're here… it's to late…"

"No it's not." He grasped her upper arms and stared intensely into her eyes. "If he has shields, then you have shields. You can block your mind from him, and maybe everyone else's, too."

"But Julian…" Marina sent a thought to him.

Julian's face went pale. "Oh. You're right. We have a mission. Catronis 6. We have to rescue them from Gentanar and his Dominion friends."

Marina nodded slowly, her green eyes wide. "Which means, we can't run from Gentanar."

"Which means we have to face him," Julian finished.

They were quiet for a moment, just looking at each other.

Julian spoke first. "Marina--"

"Hey, how is our superhero doing?" Miles popped his red head into the room where Marina and Carlos had been placed.

"I'm fine, thanks, Miles." Marina smiled at him. Then she frowned. "There's something Julian and I need to tell you--all of you."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Miles chuckled.

Julian rolled his eyes. "It's nothing like that, Miles. It's--well, I'll let Marina explain." He turned to Marina. "And it's not just us. It's them, as well. The party from Catronis 5 that came to meet us."

(LINE)

"So… the Federation needs to stop this Gentanar guy--and really soon." Dax sighed. "I guess it's up to us, then."

"As usual," Julian added.

"Don't we--don't we need to tell my dad or something?" Jake Sisko spoke up.

"You mean Captain Sisko?" asked the tall, bearded white-haired man. Marina had just learned that this was the leader of the Catronis 6 colony, Darien Fang. He had a deep voice that rumbled like thunder.

"Yes," Jake said.

"Good idea, Jake," Fang replied. "We need to ask him to send help."

"That's for sure," Kira spoke up. "We may have captured some of the Dominion group, but we don't have all of them--and there are still the wild animals and the weather to deal with."

"And Gentanar," Marina said quietly.

"Coward," Worf snarled. "He will not show his face, yet he taunts us."

"Speaking of cowards, where is Jake Harris?" Julian said suddenly.

Everyone looked around. The moody ensign was nowhere in sight.

"I know where he went."

Marina knew who it was before she turned around. With her back to the hallway, she asked quietly, "Where did he go, Carlos? And how do you know?"

Carlos walked shakily onto the mangled bridge, leaning heavily on Hannah's arm. "He went to them. To the Dominion and that Gentanar man. I know because he told me."

There was a chorus of gasps and groans. Marina remained quiet, closing her eyes. _I should have known…_ Then she felt Julian's hands on her shoulders, his thumbs running gently up and down her shoulder blades.

"Don't blame yourself," he whispered. Then, more loudly, he said, "Some of us should go try to stop him from reaching his destination. I have a feeling this Gentanar has some sort of hold on him. Perhaps we can break it. Perhaps _Marina_ can break it. And that party should also head for the weather control systems of Catronis 6, kill two birds with one stone."

Kira stepped forward. "Good idea, Bashir," she said. "Lt. Richardson, you'll have to be in that party, and so will you, Chief. And Worf--you also. "

Marina, Worf, and Miles nodded.

"Dax," Kira said, "You lead the party." She hesitated, holding Julian's very intense gaze. Then she sighed. "You, too, Julian. You'd better go with them."

Julian squeezed Marina's shoulders. "Thank-you, major."

"The rest of us need to get back to Deep Space Nine and get help."

The announcement was met with silence--at first.

"But--but no!" Jake exclaimed. "I want to stay here! We can't just leave them here!"

"Jake. We have no choice."

"We do! We do! We have a choice!"

Kira shook her head. "We need to get Carlos to the infirmary. Hannah won't leave his side. You are a civilian. And someone needs to lead the party. Me. And plus--there are the prisoners, who belong in the brig of our space station."

Jake nodded, but he was still obviously bothered.

Darien Fang spoke up. "I will send some of my men with you, Major Kira. But I believe most of us, including myself, should go with the other team to show them the way."

Kira nodded. "That will be fine, Commander Fang."

"So it's all settled, then?" Miles said quietly.

Worf caught Marina's eye and nodded at her. She remembered the conversation they had had upon first arriving on Catronis. _It is a good day to die…_

(LINE)

"Take care, lieutenant." Kira gave the young science officer a warm smile. "I enjoyed our little trip together. It was nice to get to know you so well."

"Thanks, major." Marina returned the smile. "I look forward to working with you again."

"I'll try to get reinforcements back here as soon as I can."

"I know we can count on you."

The two women, now fast friends, smiled at each other one last time, then turned and walked in opposite directions.

"Come on, people," Dax called to the others. She almost had to yell over the noise made by the wind and the engines of the shuttle taking off. "Let's head towards Catronis 6. Julian, Marina--you two have the best eyesight, I'm sure. You'll take the lead. Fang, his men, and I will take up the middle. Worf and the Chief--you guard the rear. Let's move out!"

Julian fell into step beside Marina. "You look worried," he said quietly.

"I am." Marina flashed him a weak smile.

"About what?"

"I don't know… I hope and pray Kira and the others make it back to Deep Space Nine okay…"

Julian frowned. "You think they might not?"

Marina sighed. "I don't know. I've got this--this uneasy feeling about their journey back, about our journey forward--about everything." She looked ahead, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. Fortunately, the wind had shifted, and she no longer had to wear those orange goggles.

"I'm sorry." Julian touched her shoulder gently. He was about to say more, but was interrupted.

"Lt. Richardson!" A deep bass voice boomed from behind Marina and Julian.

Darien Fang.

"Yes, sir?" Marina slowed her pace so that the tall man could catch up with her.

Fang smiled at her, his eyes kind. "I hear you have some sort of mind powers."

"Yes. Who told you?"

"Dax." His gaze went to her loosely braided hair. "That's a nice hair clip you have there."

Marina blinked at his sudden change of subject, then reached up and touched the silver clip. "Thank-you. It's actually something I wear for the safety of those around me."

"Really?" His eyebrows rose.

"Yes. Believe it or not, some people are allergic to my brain waves." She nodded toward Julian. "Dr. Bashir found that out, and he made this hair clip for me to block the waves that were hurting others from getting out."

Julian smiled smugly.

"Fascinating," Fang said.

They all walked for awhile in silence, hugging their jackets to themselves and gripping their phasers.

Finally, Dax spoke up. "Any sign yet of Harris?"

Julian shook his head and called back to her, "No. None. It's like he just… vanished."

Marina clutched Julian's arm and closed her eyes, letting him lead her. She reached out with her mind, trying to find a trace of Harris's emotions. At first, there was nothing. Then, suddenly, she picked on a burst of anger and frustration, laced with fear. It was clearly Harris. She opened her eyes. "I've found him," she announced to the others. "He's not far ahead. If he stays where he is, we should be able to reach him within fifteen minutes."

"That's odd." Julian frowned. "If he's up ahead, we should have found _some _trace that he came this way…"

"Stop! All of you!" Miles called from the rear.

Everyone stopped walking and turned around to face Miles and Worf.

"Look at this." The engineer held up what appeared to be the end of a long, slender metal chain.

"What is it?" Marina asked.

"I don't know." Miles gave it a tug. "It seems to be attached to the ground."

"I would not pull on it if I were you," Worf cautioned. "We have no idea yet what it is."

"He's right," one of Fang's men said. He was a small, blonde haired man named Ryan Prince. "That thing is obviously man-made, and _we _didn't put it there."

"Chief, see if you can find out what it's attached to," Dax ordered.

"All right." Miles knelt on the ground and followed the chain with his fingers, while everyone watched. He traced the chain all the way down to the ground, then a little ways to his left. It ended into the dirt! "Well look at that! It goes right into the ground!" he exclaimed.

Julian stepped forward. "Maybe not," he said, kneeling beside his friend. He reached down and brushed away some of the dirt, revealing a large metal ring poking up from the ground. "There." He smiled smugly.

Miles scowled. "And I supposed you're going to hold this one over me, too, Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"Of course."

"That looks too much like a trap door to be anything else," Marina said quietly.

"You've played too many hologram programs," Dax said, nudging her fellow science officer playfully.

Marina shrugged. "It's true. But in this case, I'm glad I have."

"You men see if you can open it up," Dax said. "The rest of you, aim your phasers at that door. Who knows what could come out." She glanced at Marina. "Do you feel anything coming from… under the ground?"

Marina shook her head. "No. But… ever since I've been on this mission, I've learned to not be surprised by being… surprised."

Worf, Miles, and Julian grabbed the chain, stood back from the ring in the ground, and pulled. At first, nothing happened.

"Let's give it another yank," Miles said.

So they did. And this time, a thin metal panel lifted up from the ground in a cloud of unsettled dust and dirt. Everyone crowded around what it revealed--a perfectly square hole in the ground.

"Can anyone tell how far it goes down?" Fang asked.

Marina whipped a flashlight out of her ever-handy pack and handed it to Dax, who was closer to the hole.

Dax shined the flashlight into the square of nothingness. "Looks like… about… twenty feet (not metric, but I'm fixing that later). The floor down there seems to be made of some sort of stone."

"Do you think that's why we couldn't find any trace of Harris?" Julian suggested. He turned to Fang. "Do you know about any tunnels underneath this planet?"

Fang shook his head. "No." His eyes were wide. "I don't--I don't know how this got here."

Marina stepped forward to look down the hole. "I do."

"What do you mean?" Miles asked, squinting at her.

"Gentanar. It has to be him. I think he's been on this planet for a long time." Marina shivered.

"And no doubt he is behind the animal and weather control problems," Julian added. He gave Marina an encouraging smile. "That's why we've got to stop him.That's why we're _going_ to stop him."

Fang frowned. "You mean, this crazy man has been on our planet for… for God knows how long?"

Everyone was quiet.

"Well let's go after him," Fan said.

"Good idea," Dax said. "All right. We need to get down into that tunnel. Chief, find us a way."

Julian crossed the edge of the hole to stand beside Marina. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

Marina smiled wryly at him. "I'll be fine. I just hope that…" She shook her head. "I'm worried. Very worried.I keep trying to pray over and over again, but all I can manage is 'God help.'"

Julian put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

(LINE)

"Major… there's a small ship approaching us from behind." Hannah West's voice was shaky. "And it's not Federation."

Kira frowned. She had feared this would happen. From what Marina had said, Gentanar didn't seem to be the type to give up without a fight. "Raise shields. And try to hail them."

Hannah, Jake, and the men and women from Catronis hurried to obey her orders.

"Major," one of the colonist women spoke up. "I think it's a Cardassian ship."


	15. Subterranean Catronis

Chapter Fifteen

Julian dropped gracefully from the cord onto the stone floor of the tunnel. It was a cold place, and dark, except for the flashlights. The doctor moved his own light around. The tunnel was wide enough for four people to walk side by side, and the ceiling was high. This was no hastily constructed little tunnel. This was a very large, very well-constructed underground road.

Julian glanced up. Marina was making her way down the cord. He slipped his phaser and his light into his belt and reached up to help her down. She dropped lightly into his arms. "Nice place for a date, wouldn't you say?"

Marina just smiled at him, so he continued. "Warm, airy, full of light. Just the kind of place we want to be, right, love?"

"Any place is fine as long as I'm with you," Marina whispered.

The couple stepped out of the way for the last person to enter the tunnel, Miles. The Chief quickly pulled the cord down, causing the door to fall in place as well, as he had planned. "Well," he said. "That's that. Shall we go on?"

Dax nodded, grinning crookedly. She waved her light around. "Oooh, it's dark in here."

Miles rolled his eyes. "What are you doing? We have a mission, here."

"Just because it's called a mission doesn't mean that it can't be fun," Dax retorted.

"I've learned to sometimes ignore her, Chief," Worf spoke up, walking alongside his wife as they started down the tunnel.

Dax punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Don't worry, boys. If there was anyone besides Harris in this tunnel, our very own psychogenotron would have told us."

Julian turned his eyes from the couple and looked at Marina. She looked pale, and the blue stone walls cast an eerie bluish light on her face. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

Marina looked up at him, and suddenly, her eyes went wide with horror.

"What is it?" Julian exclaimed.

"Marina, Julian--we need your eyes up here!" Dax called back to them.

"Hang on," Julian replied. He turned back to Marina. "What's the matter?"

Marina took his hand between both of hers. "Julian… I just had this awful… thing…"

"Thing?" Julian took her hands and led her with him as he moved to the front of the line.

"Premonition… vision… I don't know what to call it." She bit her lip.

"What?"

Marina didn't want to tell him. It was about him…

"Is it about me?"

"Yes." Her voice was quiet and intense. "Julian, you need to go back."

Julian laughed lightly. "Where, Marina? The shuttle has surely left by now."

Marina felt like she could cry. "Oh, Julian. You can't go on."

Dax touched Marina's shoulder and signaled for the others to halt. "Marina," she whispered, her voice laced with concern. "What is it?" She took her friend's hand. "Your hands are so cold!"

"Dax, I just had this--this flash, this vision. It was about Julian." She looked up at him, into his soulful dark eyes. "He has to go back. If he goes on…" She took a deep breath.

"What?" Miles asked. "What will happen to him? Will he die?"

"I don't know." Marina sighed. "I just saw him fall. This is the second time I've seen that in a dream… vision." She stamped her foot, frustrated. "He doesn't need to get any closer to Gentanar. All of my visions seem to indicate that no good would come of that… no good for Julian."

Julian put his hands on her shoulders. "Marina, I'm not letting you face him alone."

(LINE)

"I hope he doesn't come with her."

"Of course, sir."

"He had better not. No good will come of it." The tall, blonde man turned from the window. "Not for me, not for him." He smiled. "Of course, if all goes according to plan, nothing good will happen to him anyway."

"You're right, sir, as always."

"She seems to draw some sort of strength from him." The man began pacing back and forth, his handsome face twisted in a sneer. "If he comes with her, we shall have to deal with him…"

(LINE)

Marina and Julian walked in the front of the line, holding hands.

Julian brushed his fingers against her wrist, absently checking her pulse. It was a bit fast. She was scared--and not for herself. No, _he _was scared for _her._ And _she _was scared for _him._

"Stop," Marina said suddenly. "Harris is very close by."

Everyone stopped walking.

"Worf, Miles, you two take the lead," Dax whispered. "Everyone, draw your phasers." She nodded to her husband. "Worf, you take the lead from here."

Worf moved ahead of the others, shadowed by Miles. "We will advance slowly. Set your weapons on stun."

They all moved slowly ahead, gripping their phasers. The tunnel suddenly widened, leading into a large, circular room with a very high ceiling. There was a beam of light shining down through a crack in the ceiling--and nothing else. Harris was nowhere in sight.

"Lieutenant, where is he?" Worf whispered to Marina.

"I can't tell." Marina frowned in concentration. "He's in that room somewhere."

"But… there's nowhere for him to hide!" Miles exclaimed.

"He's there. We just have to find him." She started to move past the two men in the front.

"Marina--stay back," Miles hissed.

"Trust me." She looked at Miles and Worf and sent them memories of times in that past when she had acted in a trustworthy and intelligent manner. "Remember? I have mind powers. I'll be okay."

"All right--you can move in," Worf said. "But only if we can stay close to you."

"Fine. Just let me do my thing."

The others nodded in agreement, and Marina led the way into the round room, her friends crowding behind her.

Marina stopped a few feet into the room and closed her eyes, searching for Harris with her mind. She could sense him very close by, but his presence was elusive.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her upper arm, and she jumped, her eyes flying opened.

It was just Julian. He smiled at her and put a finger to his lips. He reached and took her hand. "Take your time. We trust you," he said.

Marina gave him a grateful smile, then closed her eyes again, searching for Harris. Aha! There he was! He was--

"Everyone get down!" Marina screamed. She threw herself to the floor, dragging Julian down with her.

There was a flash of light, then a loud boom, then the smell of smoke. Marina felt Julian's hand rest against her back, then suddenly jerk away.

The young psychogenotron got to her knees, choking on the smoke. "Is everyone all right?"

There was a chorus of yes's.

"What _was_ that?" asked one of Fang's men, a man named Mark Downs.

"It was some sort of flash bomb," Worf said, helping Dax to her feet. "I believe our prey used it to buy time. I suspect he is on the run." He looked to Marina for agreement.

Marina nodded, standing. "He's fleeing." Suddenly, her heart lurched. "Where's Julian?" She was unable to keep the panic from her voice.

Dr. Julian Bashir had vanished into the smoke.

(LINE)

"Return fire, Willis!" Kira called to one of the men from Catronis. Luckily for the Federation, he was an excellent shot.

The small shuttle had very limited weaponry and would be no match for the larger Cardassian ship in open combat. The crew's only hope was to retreat--and perhaps fire a few shots on the way.

The shuttle shuddered as it was hit by a phaser blast.

"How are the shields, West?" Kira asked, gripping the arms of her chair.

"Fine so far, but they won't be for long if we don't get out of here!" the young ensign cried.

"Are we within range of communications with Deep Space Nine?" Kira asked Jake, who had taken the job of sending unfruitful distress signals.

"Not yet--but we will be soon," Jake replied worriedly.

"Can we go any faster than this?" Carlos called from where he sat on the floor.

The woman piloting the shuttle shook her head. "We don't want to risk blowing an engine."

Kira pondered in her mind what to do. She knew she didn't have much time to ponder…

(LINE)

Julian was running faster than he had ever run in his life. He was getting tired of doing nothing. He had to catch this madman Harris. As soon as the flash bomb had gone off, the crazy thought had entered his mind--he had to get Harris. So here he was--running through the tunnel, which was swiftly narrowing, after Ensign Jake Harris. It was up to him now. None of the others had seen Harris--but he had. And he had run after him.

Mad laughter drifted back down the tunnel. Harris's laughter.

_Just like in Marina's dream…_ Julian forced the thought from his mind and kept running. He believed Marina's dreams, believed that perhaps something bad might happen to him, but he knew that he would not fail, could not fail.

Suddenly, the beam of his light revealed another widening ahead. He slowed his pace, coming to a stop in a room that branched off in three directions. Which way to go? _If only Marina was here. I should have brought her with me. But… no. This is too dangerous. What am I thinking? I'm willing to let her face Gentanar, but not come with me to chase after Harris? I'm so--_

Suddenly, there was a cry of pain, echoing clearly from the path to the left.

Julian did not hesitate. He started down the path, walking quickly, but cautiously.

"Someone! Help me!" It was Harris's voice.

Julian did not like Harris; in fact, he quite nearly despised him. But he knew that the man was at least partially under Gentanar's control. And Julian was a doctor. His first instinct was to help the man, no matter what he had done. He quickened his pace, frightened by the sudden silence. Would he be too late?

The dark path turned sharply to the left, and Julian followed it. It led him into a dead end. And slumped against the far wall was Ensign Jake Harris.

Holding his light and his phaser with one hand, Julian slipped the other hand into the pack on his back for his medical kit. "Jake--are you all right?" he called.

Harris made no sound, no movement. His eyes remained closed.

Julian glanced around quickly. There was nothing else in the room--and no one else either. He advanced forward slowly, setting his flashlight on the ground. He cautiously bent down beside Harris, quickly examining the man.

Harris's bald head was streaked with soot, and there was a large bruise on his cheek. But other than that, he seemed fine.

Julian frowned, confused. He set down his phaser and opened up his medical kit, glancing away from Harris's still form for a split second…

Suddenly, the big ensign sprang to life with a savage yell, throwing himself at Julian.

(LINE)

Marina ran down the tunnels, calling Julian's name. There was no sign of him.

"He's getting farther away from us!" Marina called back to the others. "I can barely feel him." She suddenly stopped running, a terrible realization flooding over her. She turned around. There was no one behind her. And nothing--except for a huge barred door that had seemingly shot up from the ground. She could not go back. Nearly panicking, she frantically sent out her thoughts in search of the others. Their presences were all distant--not only from her, but from each other as well.

Somehow, they had all been separated. And in their zeal to find Julian, to find Harris, they hadn't even realized it.

Marina fought down the sobs that were tightening her throat. She clenched her fists and stood in the middle of the tunnel, breathing heavily. "Gentanar…" she murmured through her teeth. Then she screamed the name. "Gentanar! Where are you? I'm sick of these games, you coward! Come out and face me!"

The only answer was the echo of her voice.

She linked her fingers together in front of her face and closed her eyes. "Oh, God… help us…" Then she sank to her knees and bowed her head, sending her thoughts out strongly, desperately.

(LINE)

Kira and those with her fairly jumped out of the shuttle as soon as they docked at the space station. They had managed to evade the Cardassian ship, but barely. Kira still felt shaky and frightened, but would never show the others, of course.

Sisko and Odo ran to meet the shuttle's crew.

Jake flew into his father's arms, babbling almost incoherently about Catronis and the Cardassian ship and Gentanar.

When the captain managed to pull away from his son, he turned to Kira. "Major, what happened?"

"It's a long story," she replied quickly. "Captain, we need to gather an armada and an army and head for that planet--now!"

(LINE)

Julian may have been genetically enhanced, but he was still no match for the muscular Jake Harris in hand-to-hand combat. He was losing the fight--and badly.

Harris had immediately knocked him to the ground and pinned him, but he had managed to get away. Now, he was backed against the wall and was not succeeding in dodging the larger man's blows. He could taste blood in his mouth and his ribs ached like they were on fire. As he barely dodged another punch, he looked around for his phaser. There! He took a blow to the shoulder, then threw himself to the ground, reaching out for the phaser. As soon as it was in his grasp, Harris kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Julian gasped in a painful breath, dizzy and disoriented.

Harris kicked the phaser from his hand and grabbed the front of his uniform. "Do you give up, freak?" he snarled.

Julian nodded slowly. _Of course I don't_, he thought.

Harris dropped him to the ground and bent to retrieve the phaser.

This was Julian's last chance. He swiftly got to his knees, ignoring the pain and dizziness, and kicked Harris in the back of the knee. The big man went down, and Julian grabbed up the phaser. He quickly held the weapon to Harris's head.

"All right, Harris. Take me to Gentanar."

Harris sneered at him. "You won't shoot me. You're a doctor, not a soldier."

"I am a Starfleet officer, ensign," Julian managed. He wiped his bloody lips on the back of his sleeve. "I am well-trained in combat. And I will shoot if I have to."

Harris laughed insanely.

"Get up," Julian said, staggering to his feet. He swayed dizzily, then managed to regain his balance. "Get up, I said!"

Harris stood, glaring at the doctor. "Gentanar won't let you get away." He smiled slowly. "Even if you did get away, you wouldn't last for long. I put a heavy beating on you. You're hurt really badly."

"I'm a doctor. I can fix myself. Now march--that way!" Julian motioned with his phaser toward the path.

"Oh, yeah? You can fix yourself?" Harris suddenly lifted up his big foot and brought it down hard on Julian's medical kit, smashing it with all of his weight.

Julian winced at the sound of his equipment shattering. Then winced at the painful cough he felt rising up in his chest.

"Fix yourself now, freak."

Before Harris could start laughing again, Julian shot him with the phaser. Harris went down, stunned. And Julian collapsed as well.


	16. Julian and Gentanar

Chapter Sixteen

"Get _up_, Marina, you idiot!" Marina chided herself. "Get _up_!" She climbed to her feet, glancing behind her at the iron bars. She suddenly felt like Julian needed her. Hopefully, he wasn't behind those bars anywhere. She reached out for him with her mind--and with her heart. And soon, she found him. His presence was not very far away, but it _was_ very weak. She frowned, wondering why. Usually, his presence was the strongest to her. That was odd. Then she remembered her sudden vision and her stomach tightened with fear.

"Oh, God, please let him be okay. Please let me get to him in time," she prayed aloud, breaking into a run. She hardly paid attention to where she was going. She didn't have to. His presence, however weak it was, was like a beacon to her, and she launched herself straight for it.

Suddenly, fire shot across her path. She screamed and jumped back. She stood there for a moment, panting, and watched fire stream out of a hole in the wall. "Gentanar," she said aloud, as if he could hear her (he probably could). "What games are you playing? Why not just come and get me, if you're so powerful?"

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fire blinked out.

Marina stood still for awhile, her body tense. She slid her pack down on one elbow and reached into it, drawing out a tightly packed ration. She tossed the packet in front of her so that it passed by the fire hole. Nothing happened. Cautiously, she inched forward, holding her pack in front of her. Slowly, she passed the hole. The fire did not return. Smirking, she bent down and picked up the food packet, slipping it into her pack. She straightened and slid the pack back onto her shoulders, then continued down the tunnels, this time at a slower pace, keeping her sharp eyes opened for traps.

_Gentanar doesn't seem to want me dead, so I shouldn't be _too _worried, but… Better safe than sorry, and all those other clichés about being cautious…_

She soon came to a split in the tunnel. The path she was on branched off in three directions. She reached out for Julian, desperate to find him. To her dismay, his presence seemed to occupy all three paths! Nothing like that had ever happened…

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. It was someone she knew…

"Marina! You're alive!"

"Miles!" Marina turned around and flung herself into the Irish engineer's arms. "Oh, Miles, what happened? Everyone's gone, and Julian is fading from me somehow, and he's in three places at once, and I don't know what to do!"

Miles drew back from her. "I don't know what happened," he said slowly. "All I know is, these iron bars kept blocking my way. The only way I could go was this way. So you still haven't found Julian yet?"

Marina shook her head. "No. I'm so worried, Chief! His presence is usually stronger than anyone's to me, but now… It's so weak!"

"He's in trouble," Miles said, suddenly alert. "We have to get to him." He looked dubiously at the three paths. "Which way do we go? Where is he?"

"That's what I was rather hysterically trying to tell you," Marina said mournfully. "I sense his presence down all three paths!"

"It must be some sort of trick. Like the fire and the iron bars."

"You saw the fire, too?"

"Yes."

"Gentanar," Marina said through her teeth. She tended to say that name in that manner. "He's got these tunnels rigged." She shivered. "I think he was waiting for us. I think he wanted us to come down here."

"He's a pretty good engineer, by the looks of things." He crossed his arms and glared at the split in the tunnel. "I figure this is some sort of trick of his, too. Sensing three Julian's and all."

Marina's eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure. He could have a bio signature projector. It could be scrambling Julian's signal and setting up fake signals. Perhaps the fake ones are so good, they could fool even you."

"That's--that's possible?"

Miles looked askance at her. "You didn't know that?"

Marina shook her head.

"Ah! I keep forgetting you're a new officer. You act like you've been at the job for years."

"Miles, just tell me how to find the real Julian."

The red haired engineer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, if my theory _is_ true, then you'd just have to keep looking at the signals--or 'presences' to you-- until you find discrepancies."

"Discrepancies?"

"Yeah. Sort of like checking blue glass to make sure it is the _glass _that's blue and not just paint."

"Oh. I think I get it." Marina stepped closer to the three paths. "All right. Here I go." She closed her eyes and stretched out her hands in front of her. Even though the gestures had little to do with her mental skills, they helped her concentrate. And she needed all the concentration she could get. She first looked at the presence down the path to the left. Of all of them, it was the weakest. She studied it carefully, feeling it with her mind, testing it with her heart. It felt completely like Julian. But just to be sure, she carefully examined the other two presences. Sure enough, both of them blinked in and out and wavered--ever so slightly, but just enough to convince her that they were decoys, set up by some device--or by the mind of a very powerful psychogenotron.

"It's the left path," Marina said quickly, drawing her phaser. She started forward, then stopped abruptly. "Now the two decoys are gone. And I think--I think Harris is with Julian."

"That could be bad," Miles said.

"Or it could be good," Marina said, once again starting down the path. "But from my experience on this mission, I'm expecting bad." _Hang on, Julian, my love. I'm coming…_

"You might want to let me lead the way," Miles said, walking around her. "Who knows what we might find."

Marina felt the blood drain from her face. "Yeah," she managed weakly. "Who knows?"

Miles stopped walking, and Marina nearly ran into him. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "That was… insensitive of me."

"It's all right." Marina cleared her throat. "From what I can read of your emotions, you're trying to keep things nonchalant because you're really worried about Julian."

Miles raised his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, that's about it." He smiled at her before turning back to the path. "Come on."

The two of them went slowly down the tunnel, Miles straining his eyes and ears for any sign of his friend or of the deranged ensign. Marina strained her mind. To her confusion, both of their presences were weak and unmoving. It disturbed her badly.

"Stop," Miles suddenly whispered.

Marina stopped, tense and shaky. "Wh-what is it?"

"It's a room. Looks like a dead end." The engineer waved his flashlight around, walking forward slowly. "I don't see--" His voice trailed off, and his body went still.

Marina could feel his shock and fear. "What is it?" she asked. She was so anxious that she felt like breaking down and crying.

"Marina, why don't you step back and let me go in--"

Before he could say "first," Marina had rushed into the room. She skipped over Harris's prone form and flung herself to her knees beside Julian. "Oh, God, please!" she cried, setting down her pack, phaser, and flashlight. She quickly placed two fingers on his throat, nearly collapsing with relief when she felt his pulse.

"Is he all right?" Miles asked, quickly joining her at his friend's side.

"He's alive, but I think he's hurt," Marina said, her voice shaky. "Look for his medical kit." While Miles searched for the kit, Marina reached to touch Julian's face. "Julian," she said quietly, gently. "Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Marina."

She turned. Miles was holding up the smashed remains of Julian's medical equipment. Marina groaned. "Can you fix it?"

Miles looked closely at the shattered devices. "This will take a lot of work."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise. It seemed to come from the wall opposite the path.

Marina reached out with her mind--and felt sheer malice coming from behind the wall. She looked at Miles with large, startled eyes. "We have to get out of this room," she said. "There's someone--or something--back there that we really don't need to meet."

"All right. I know that we're taking Julian with us, but… What about him? I think he was stunned by Julian's laser." He nodded towards Harris.

Marina frowned. "We need to bring him, too."

"After all he's done?"

"He's a Starfleet officer, Miles. And even though he's a horrible person, anyway, I think Gentanar made him what he is now."

There was another rumble, like thunder.

Miles leaned over his friend, gently tapping his shoulder. "Julian!" he called loudly. "Julian, you have to wake up!"

Julian moaned softly, but did not move.

"Let me handle this. You carry Harris out of here," Marina ordered.

"Marina--"

"Go! I'll get him!"

"Look, I'll get Harris, but I'm waiting right here in this room for you and Julian."

"All right." Marina flashed him a grateful smiled, then turned to Julian. She took his hand and pressed it gently. "Come on, Julian." She used her mind, concentrating on his weak presence, thinking hard at him. _Julian, wake up. We're in trouble. We have to go. Open your eyes. Wake up!_

"Marina?" His eyelids fluttered. "What are you--what are you doing here?" His eyes opened, and he tried to sit up on his elbows, but they shook so bad that he laid back down, wincing.

"Julian, we've got to get out of this room," Marina said. "Miles is carrying Harris. Do you think you can walk?"

The thundering returned, louder this time. The little room seemed to quake.

"I can try," Julian said. He raised himself up on his elbows again, this time managing to stay there. "You'll have to help me. I'm so sorry."

"That's ridiculous. There's nothing to be sorry for." Marina helped him sit up, feeling almost sick to her stomach at seeing him in such bad shape.

"Marina, we have to hurry," Miles urged. He had Harris flung haphazardly over his shoulder. "I can't carry this big fellow for long."

"Come on." Marina stood and took Julian gently under the arms. "Can you do this? I can try to drag you if you can't."

"No, no," Julian coughed out. "I won't be dragged. And I won't think about the pain. Mind over matter and all that." He forced himself to his feet, grimacing.

Marina wrapped an arm around him, badly frightened by how heavily he leaned on her shoulder. She nodded to Miles. "Let's go." She followed Miles back onto the path, half dragging Julian.

Julian suddenly gave a small gasp, then sucked in his breath and bit his lip.

"Are you all right?" Marina asked worriedly.

"I'll be _fine_. Just keep going." But his face was frightfully pale, his eyes over-bright and feverish.

They made their way back to the split in the tunnel. The low rumbles still echoed, but much more softly.

"I think we'll be all right here," Marina said, gently lowering Julian to the ground. "I think that room we were in was… unstable."

"Unstable?" Miles asked, plopping Harris down very un-gently.

"Gentanar probably had it rigged or something," Marina said. She turned to Julian, who was curled up on his side, panting. "Julian? How bad are you?"

"Just a couple of broken bones, some major cuts and bruises, and perhaps internal injuries. Nothing serious." He smiled briefly, then winced.

"That's not funny," Miles said.

Marina felt sick again. "That's serious. What's broken?"

"All my ribs, maybe my collarbone, one of my knuckles, and maybe a crack in my shoulder blade."

"Good Lord!" Miles exclaimed. "We've got to get you to a doctor!"

"I _am _doctor," Julian managed. "My kit--"

"It's right here." Miles held it up. "Or what's left of it."

Marina sat down and gently pulled Julian into her arms so that his head rested on her shoulder. "I hate we had to move you," she said, her voice shaky. She looked at Miles. "Not even the painkillers are undamaged?"

Miles shook his head, his face grim. "It's all smashed up. I could fix it, but it would take awhile. And we've got to get to Catronis 6."

Marina looked down at Julian.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll be all right." He tried to lift his head from her shoulder, but didn't quite make it, collapsing back into her arms with a sharp cry of pain.

"Julian! Oh, God! Are you all right?"

"I'm alive, if that's what you mean." The young doctor looked up at her and smiled. "This bloody Gentanar fellow doesn't know what he's up against." He closed his eyes suddenly, frowning. "God, I can't take this pain. I don't think I can stay awake… much… longer…" He went completely limp.

"Julian!" Marina cried. She touched his cracked lips gently, feeling for breath. "Thank-you, God…" He was still breathing. But how long would he last in such bad condition?

(LINE)

"Julian."

Julian was standing on a very windy cliff. He spun around at the sound of the voice. There stood a tall, blonde man. "Who are you?"

The man laughed. "You being such a genius, I would have thought you might have guessed by now."

"Gentanar." Julian said the name like a curse.

"At your service." The psychogenotron bowed. "Looks like I'm winning, Julian. At this very moment, as your broken body lies in the arms of the woman we both love, I am not only inside of your dream, but also sabotaging yet another of Catronis 6's weather control devices. Before long, this planet will be stormed by… storms!" He laughed insanely.

Julian found suddenly that even in sleep, he could feel pain.

"Hurt?"

Julian just glared.

"Harris packs quite a punch, I hear. He always excelled in Starfleet combat training. And he loved those boxing simulators! In fact, he brought down Muhammad Ali once or twice. He's a very gifted young man."

"And a bloody crazy one to follow a sick creature like yourself," Julian added, bending over to hug his aching body.

Gentanar was quiet for a moment, his face devoid of emotion. Then he smiled. "Crazy to follow _me_? Whose side seems to be winning, Bashir? I'm not the one whose doubled over hugging my ribs and trying not to puke. I'm not the one who won't get over it when she's sees the man she loves die in her arms--until I become the next man in her life. I'm not Harris's next victim like that engineer fool. You just wait till I wake Harris up."

Julian straightened, despite the pain. "I'm not the one who is so deluded by himself that he doesn't recognize the true power of what he is up against."

"Let's see. What _am _I up against?" Gentanar grinned wickedly. "A dying doctor, a rookie psychogenotron who will fall for me the next time she sees me, a doomed engineer, a childish Trill, an overly zealous Klingon, a colony of weak, simpering fools, and… Oh wait, that's it. No one else dares to stand up to me."

"Marina will not fall for you--ever," Julian said, his voice low and intense, his anger blotting out his pain momentarily. "I'm not dead yet. And you still have no idea what you're up against." He drew back his fist and punched Gentanar square in the nose.

Then he woke up.


	17. Breakout

Chapter Seventeen

The first thing Julian saw when he awoke was Marina, her back leaned against the stone wall, her eyes closed. She looked so terribly tired. He hated to wake her. But he had to warn her, tell her about his dream. "Marina," he whispered.

Marina's eyes immediately opened--and turned to him. "Julian! You're awake! Are you all right?"

"Quite frankly, no--but I'll be a whole lot worse if Gentanar gets his way. We've got to keep moving." He paused to catch his breath, which proved to be a painful process. He clenched his teeth and sat up, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Julian--"

"Don't worry. I'm genetically enhanced. I'll heal pretty quickly." He glanced to where Miles was standing guard over Harris. "He hasn't awakened yet?"

Miles shook his head. "No. But I'm glad _you _have." He crossed his arms. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Why, yes. How do you--?" He paused to cough raggedly. "How do you know?"

"It sure looked like you did. And you muttered something very angrily. I couldn't quite make it out."

"Gentanar came to me in my dream." Julian frowned, staring off into the distance. "He believes that he has already one. He claims that I am dying, Harris will kill you, Miles, and Marina will 'fall for him.' Arrogant fool."

They were all silent for a moment. Marina bit her lip and held a fist to her mouth. _Don't let Gentanar be right. Please…_ She felt tears spring to her eyes, and her nose and throat burned with held-back sobs.

"He's not right," Julian said quickly, picking up on her thoughts. "Don't worry." He reached to take her hand. "I'll get better, you'll see. And we'll be extra careful about Harris."

Marina smiled and swiped absently at her tears with her free hand. "And the part about me falling for Gentanar?"

Julian smiled crookedly. "Oh, I don't worry about that. You have more taste than that. I mean, look who you're dating."

Marina bent down to kiss his lips gently. "I'm looking at you. And right now, you don't look very healthy. It's time to fix you up and get moving."

(LINE)

"Worf? Is that you?" Dax peered through the shadows of the tunnel.

"It is." Her Klingon husband suddenly immerged in front of her, his face illuminated by the tiny sliver of light that came through a crack in the high ceiling.

Dax ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. "What happened? Are you all right? Where are the others?"

"Somehow, we were all separated in these infernal tunnels. I believe this Gentanar creature has this place rigged." Worf growled. "I'd like to meet him in combat…"

"So would I," Dax agreed, pulling back from him. "So let's get moving. Do you have any idea which direction we were going in to start with?"

Worf shook his head grimly. "None."

(LINE)

"We're coming up on the Cardassian ship, captain," Kira announced.

Captain Sisko sat in the commander's chair of the _U.S.S Defiant_, determined to intercept the ship that had tried to destroy the shuttle from Deep Space Nine. "Raise shields and prepare for battle. Red alert."

(LINE)

"Wrap it around one more time. Good." Julian winced slightly as Marina finished wrapping up his damaged ribs. "You make a great nurse," he managed.

Marina raised a dark eyebrow in a gesture that made Julian think that maybe she was related to the famous Spock on her Vulcan side. "Then why are you making that face?"

"It's going to hurt, regardless of how well you do it."

"Whatever you say." Marina clipped the bandage in place with an extra hair clip she found in her pack. "That should do for awhile. At least we won't have to worry about you getting a punctured lung." She shivered at the thought. She gently helped Julian slip his uniform back onto his shoulders, feeling sick at the look of pain on his face. "Do you think that maybe I could… use my psychogenotrosis to ease your pain?" she asked.

Julian shook his head stiffly. "No, thank-you. You need to save your strength. And I'll be fine."

Miles snorted. "You'll be fine, will you? I saw those bruises, Julian. You're a doctor. You should know that you're in pretty rough shape. If you're so fine, why are you wearing all those bandages? And why do you make all those faces? And why is it so hard for you to breathe? You're not _fine_, Julian. Marina and I both know that."

Julian was quiet for a moment. Then he said softly, "I may not be _fine_, but I have to keep going anyway. We _must _get to those weather control generators. And we _must _face Gentanar. Whether I'm fine or not should not be a factor."

Marina crossed her arms, frowning. "Julian, it's a factor with me."

"Me, too," Miles added.

Julian looked at them both, his best friend and the woman he loved. He started to say something.

Miles raised a hand. "No, don't say it. You're not a burden. We're all coming through this together--which means you have to survive. So this is how it's going to be--you--"

Suddenly, there was huge booming sound from behind them. It echoed through the tunnel like thunder.

And Harris woke up.

"Miles! Behind you!" Marina yelled, fear clenching her heart. _Gentanar's prediction…_

Smoke was filling the tunnel. Something had exploded.

Miles turned around just in time to see Harris's big fist flying towards his face. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, quickly ducking.

Marina and Julian quickly drew their phasers.

"Stand down, Harris!" Julian called, his voice surprisingly strong. "We have weapons!"

Harris just laughed insanely and continued attacking the engineer, who was successfully dodging the crazy ensign's blows.

Marina tried to aim for Harris, then lowered her phaser in frustration. "I can't get a clear shot!" she exclaimed to Julian. "I'm worried I might hit Miles! There's too much smoke, and Miles keeps getting in the way!"

"Help me up. I think I can get a clear shot." Julian held out a hand.

Marina took his hand and gently pulled him to his feet. "You sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine," he panted. "You see? I'm recovering already. I told you I--"

"Stop gabbing over there and start shooting!" Miles cried. Both fighters had locked arms and were engaged in a shoving match.

"Turn him around, Miles!" Julian cried.

Miles spun, whipping Harris around so that the bald man's back was to Julian and Marina.

Julian fired, and Harris fell, once again stunned by the doctor's phaser.

"Good work, Julian," Miles said.

"All in a day's work." Julian tiredly saluted his friend, then leaned heavily against the smooth stone wall. Marina and Miles immediately flanked him. "I'm--I'm all right," he panted. "I'm recovering, remember?" His knees suddenly buckled, and he pitched forward into Miles' arms. "Sorry, old friend. I just can't seem to get my feet under me."

Miles slung one of Julian's arms over his shoulder and slid a supporting arm around his friend. "I'll be the feet for both of us," he said.

Marina touched Julian's forehead, smiling when he closed his eyes. "At least you don't have a fever."

"Leave your hand there. It feels good," he said quietly.

"We don't have time for romance, you two. We've got to get out of here. Something exploded in the tunnel behind us. We could be next."

Marina ran her fingers quickly through Julian's hair, then turned to face the fallen Jake Harris. "What do we do with him?"

Miles shrugged. "Leave him, for all I care. First he tries to kill my best friend--and nearly succeeds--and then he tries to kill me."

Suddenly, there was another explosion, this time much closer. The ground beneath their feet shook, and loose rocks tumbled down the walls.

Suddenly, Marina noticed something. "Guys, there are cracks running up the walls!" Her green eyes went huge. "This tunnel is about to collapse!"

And suddenly, a section of it did. A huge chunk of ceiling rock fell to the tunnel floor right behind Harris.

Marina rushed towards the fallen man.

"Marina!" Julian and Miles called simultaneously.

Marina ignored them and quickly grabbed hold of the big ensign's arms, dragging him away from the fallen rock. "Miles--get Julian out of here! I'll be right behind you!"

"No, Miles!" Julian shouted, anger and pain mixed in his dark eyes. "I'm not leaving her!" He yelled at Marina, "Are you daft, darling? Of course we're not leaving you!"

Miles stood rooted to the ground, not sure whose advice to take.

There was another explosion--this time so very close--and the tunnel heaved convulsively.

Suddenly, Marina had an idea. She reached out and touched Harris's mind--a hard thing, since he was so incompatible with her. But she succeeded. _Wake up, you idiot! Get up! We have to run! Gentanar is trying to trap us in here--and when I say 'us,' I'm including you!_

Harris groaned.

"Get up, man!" Miles yelled.

Harris staggered to his feet, aided by Marina. "What--what's happening?" He stared at Marina. "What are _you_ doing in my quarters?"

"We're not in your quarters!" Marina cried. "We're in a tunnel under the surface of Catronis! And it's collapsing! We have to go--_now_!"

Harris looked around, his face registering confusion and fear.

Marina jerked him by the arm. "Come on! There's no time to explain!"

Another huge chunk of the ceiling collapsed, and they all broke into a run.

(LINE)

"Here it is, one teddy bear--good as new." Garak, the Cardassian tailor (and many other things), plopped a star-spangled teddy bear onto Quark's bar.

"What is this?" Quark asked.

"This happens to be Lt. Richardson's teddy bear--which now has arms, thanks to my expertise."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Garak looked surprised. "The good doctor didn't tell you?"

"He's said nothing about--about this!" Quark motioned to the teddy bear, who sat smiling up at him, arms upraised.

"This is Nupenberry, a favorite of the lovely Lt. Richardson. It seems that she once removed his arms in her sleep--rather violently, I'm told." Garak chuckled to himself. "So Dr. Bashir asked me to fix it for her as a welcome home present."

"How kind of him. So what does it have to do with me?"

"He told me to give it to you for safekeeping in case something happened."

"Will I be… rewarded?"

Garak nodded. "Of course." He started to walk off, then turned back. "Have you heard any news from Catronis?"

Quark stared. "If _you _haven't heard anything, no one has."

"_I_ have."

Garak and Quark turned. There stood Odo.

"Well?" Garak prompted.

Odo sighed. "It's not exactly news _from _Catronis, but it is definitely relevant to the situation at hand." He paused. "Both of you know who Ensign Jake Harris is, don't you?"

They nodded.

"He is a spy," Odo announced. "I've searched his quarters and found damning evidence, linking him not only to the Dominion, but also to this rogue psychogenotron Gentanar."

"Ah, yes. The one who went crazy, supposedly because of treatments to help him control his vast power." Garak smiled wryly. "But there is more to it than that."

"You know of him?" Odo asked.

"I know of everyone, Constable," the Cardassian retorted.

"Garak, you must tell me anything you know about this man that could be helpful to our friends on Catronis," Odo ordered.

(LINE)

"Thank God! I see daylight!" Julian cried, leaning heavily on Miles, who had stopped walking.

"We're coming out of the tunnels!" Marina exclaimed. She turned to Julian and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him soundly on the lips.

"Can we go back through the tunnels and catch a first glimpse of daylight again?" Julian asked teasingly.

"There is no way!" Miles exclaimed. "I'm never going back in there!"

"I don't even know how _I_ got in there!" Harris spoke up. "What happened?"

"You were under the mind control of Gentanar--a very powerful psychogenotron," Julian explained.

"Yeah, and you're the one who beat up Julian," Miles growled, glaring at the big, bald young man.

Harris's face paled. "I--I had no idea. I'm sorry. I mean, I never liked the doc, but… I would never do _that _to him!" he cried, motioning to the battered young doctor.

"You're forgiven. And I don't like you either," Julian said quickly. "But for now, let's just concentrate on getting out of here. We need to get to the weather control generators--and then to Gentanar." He frowned suddenly. "What's that smell?"

Marina wrinkled her nose and nervously snaked her arm around his. "I smell it, too. It smells like--"

Miles frowned. "Like some sort of explosive powder."

"Oh, no! Not again!" Harris wailed.

"Run! Run!" Julian cried.

And they all ran toward the sunlight, as smoke billowed out from the tunnels behind them.

Marina reached and grabbed Julian's hand. _I will not be separated from him again…_

Suddenly, there was a loud boom and a blinding flash of light.


	18. Guard Your Mind

Chapter Eighteen

Marina slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on her stomach in a patch of dirt. There was dust all over the ground, and the air was thick with it. Her throat itched with it. She cleared her throat and pushed herself up to her elbows, peering through the settling dust. "Julian? Miles?" She suddenly felt a slight pressure on her hand.

"I'm beside you." It was Julian's voice, distinct and very British.

Marina squeezed his hand. "Are you all right?"

"As well as can be expected." He coughed hoarsely. "Are you?"

Marina nodded, then realized that he probably could not see her through the dust. "Yes. Fine. Where are Miles and Harris?"

"I'm over here," Miles groaned. "This ground is really hard."

"And really cold," whined Harris.

"What happened?" Marina asked. She got to her knees, still clutching Julian's hand.

"There was some sort of blast, an explosion," Miles explained. "The force of it threw us a good ways from the tunnel entrance."

The dust was finally clearing. Marina glanced over her shoulder. She could see the entrance to the tunnels. It was a cave, a small opening in a wall of rock. "We're in the mountains?" she asked.

"As far as I can tell," Miles said.

"So we're near the weather control devices!" Marina exclaimed. "Excellent!"

"Wait. Have you noticed it yet?" Julian spoke up.

"Noticed what?" Miles asked. He, too, had made it to his knees and was looking down curiously at his friend.

"Something's different," Julian said. His voice cracked, and he paused to get his breath. "Do you feel it? It doesn't even feel like Catronis anymore."

"The wind," Marina said quickly. "It's--it's gone."

And it was. The air was still and cold.

Marina batted at the clearing dust around her face. "I wish this stuff would settle so I--" And then she saw it. She gasped in shock. "L--look at the clouds! Just look!"

Miles saw it, and his mouth dropped open. "Julian, look!" He reached down to help Julian to his knees.

The clouds were yellow and swirling, spinning in a wide diameter around the cave site and the Federation officers.

"We're in the eye of the storm," Julian whispered, excitement and worry combined in his voice.

"Let's go back in the tunnels!" Harris cried.

"No!" the others all shouted in unison.

"Well what do we do?" Harris asked, his eyes wide and panicky.

Marina moved closer to Julian, looping her arm around his. "He has a point," she whispered. "That storm is moving--slowly, but… It's moving. We can't just sit here and wait for it to blow us away. And we can't get past all that wind either. It's far to strong--probably more than two hundred miles an hour, from the look of those clouds."

Julian turned his face to hers. "We can't go back in the tunnels. It's too dangerous."

"I know." She glanced anxiously at the storm. Was it just her imagination, or had it already moved closer? "Maybe… maybe we can move with it."

Julian frowned. "What? Marina, you are a scientist. You know how unpredictable storms are. And besides, it might not even move toward our destination. And look how slow it's moving!"

"Wait! Both of you!" Miles exclaimed. He pointed ahead. "We're already there! Do you see that building over there?"

Marina jumped to her feet. "Yes! You're a Godsend, Miles! That looks like the building for weather control!"

"We'd better move fast, then," Julian spoke up worriedly. "It's on the very edge of the eye!"

(LINE)

"Where do you think you're going?" Garak asked Odo, matching his pace to that of the changeling.

"I'm taking a shuttle and catching up with the _Defiant_," Odo explained, not slowing down and not looking at the Cardassian. "What you just told me about Gentanar is valuable information. I must get to the captain with it--and to the party already on Catronis. They are in far graver danger than they know!"

"Then let me go with you," Garak said quickly. "In case you forget everything I told you."

Odo glanced at him. "All right. I'll take you along. But you _must _follow my orders. Is that clear?"

Garak gave him a mock salute.

The two men hurried into the shuttle bay and approached the shuttle that Odo had gotten permission to take. Standing in front of it was Quark, carrying a load of weapons in his arms.

Odo stopped walking and rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, Quark? Do I even want to know?"

"I'm coming along, constable," Quark said proudly. "I thought you might need some of these, as well." He held up the weapons. "Don't even say it. I know they're illegal. You can thank me later."

"Thank you?" Odo cried incredulously. "I'm going to have you arrested instead!"

"Hold on just a minute, Odo," Garak spoke up, standing between the changeling and the Ferengi. "Those are _very _powerful weapons. They will be of great use against someone like Reetan Gentanar. I think you should reconsider Quark's offer. If not for the sake of justice and peace and all that, for the sake of your friends. Such as Major Kira."

Odo was quiet for a moment, pondering. "Well, all right!" he finally relented, stepping past Quark into the shuttle. "But first I must ask one thing." He closed the doors right behind Quark, making the Ferengi jump. That gave him satisfaction.

"Ask away."

"Why exactly are you doing this?"

"Some of my most loyal patrons are down there. Losing their lives would mean losing business." He sighed at Odo's unbelieving expression. "And they're my friends, too, all right? Satisfied?"

Odo gave a rare smile, albeit a dry one. "Very."

(LINE)

"Captain, a Federation shuttle has joined the battle from behind," Kira said quickly, bracing herself as the pilot turned the _Defiant _sharply to avoid phaser fire from the Cardassians. "They wish to speak with you." She blinked. "It's a shuttle from the station!"

"Return fire!" Sisko called out. "And Major, open frequencies!"

The com system crackled, then a very familiar voice said, "Captain Sisko, we have received valuable information about Reetan Gentanar. We must break through enemy lines and get to the planet immediately!"

"We're working on that, Odo," Sisko replied. "Send the information to the _Defiant_'s computers. And follow us in."

(LINE)

The four Starfleet officers ran together toward the weather control building of Catronis 6. The storm wall was moving slowly closer.

Julian suddenly stumbled, dizzy and in pain. Miles grabbed him around the waist and practically hauled him the rest of the way to the door.

Once they reached the door, Marina punched in her scientist's pass code, and the door slid open. They all rushed inside.

"We have to fix this weather before the weather fixes us," Marina said quickly, dropping her pack beside the door and looking around. The interior of the building was sleek, its walls covered in control panels and flashing computer screens. "There!" Marina pointed to the far wall. "That looks like the storm control center. Let's get to it!"

"Just--just leave me here," Julian panted. "I'll sit by the door. I won't be of much use to you anyway." He slid to the floor, his back against the wall. His eyes looked glassy, his cheeks flushed. "Go on. I'll be all right."

Marina nodded to him. "I'll be right back, Julian," she said softly, following Miles toward the control panel.

"Harris, you coming?" Miles called over his shoulder.

The big ensign quickly shook his head. "No. I'm just a security guard. I'll just stand here and… guard."

Marina and Miles hurried to the far wall. Marina's sharp eyes quickly took in the weather readings. "Oh dear. This isn't good."

"What?"

"The controls are set, sort of like auto pilot. They aren't on manual."

Miles frowned. "Can you fix that?"

Marina stepped forward and began punching buttons, trying to log into the main computer so she could change the weather settings. She shook her head, worry apparent in her green eyes. "Miles, I should be able to, but… I can't!" She frowned, examining the controls closely. "These controls have been tampered with from the inside out! See that engine light blinking?" She turned to the engineer. "Miles, you need to get into the engine room and fix the storm controller engines."

"Where's the engine room?" he asked quickly.

"There!" Marina pointed to a small door to the right. "Hurry!"

Miles adjusted his pack on his shoulder and gave Marina a salute as he rushed through the door.

"Let me know when you've fixed the problem, and I'll change the settings!" Marina called to him.

"Aye, aye!" he replied.

Something suddenly registered in Marina's mind. Another presence was nearby… No, make that two…

Suddenly, a door on the left whooshed open, and Dax and Worf rushed out.

"Marina! How did you get here?" Dax exclaimed.

"I should ask you the same thing!" Marina cried.

"We found our way out of the tunnels and came here, hoping to fix the problem." Dax shook her head, her ponytail swishing. "But we couldn't quite figure it out. Good thing you and Miles know what you're doing!"

There was a sudden clanking noise, and the two women could here Miles muttering angrily to himself on the other side of the engine room door.

"Well, at least _you _know what you're doing," Dax said.

"But I can't fix these settings until Miles fixes the problem back there," Marina said quietly. "Someone has done something to the engines to keep these control settings frozen in place."

"Is that Ensign Harris?" Worf asked suddenly, his voice low and intense like a growl.

Marina nodded.

Worf started toward him, snarling.

Marina quickly stepped in front of the Klingon. "He's on our side now. Gentanar had hold of his mind. He's pretty rotten, anyway, but… Not that rotten. Julian stunned him, and when he woke up, I think he had forgotten being under Gentanar's control."

Worf glared at Harris, who quickly looked down at the ground.

"What happened to Julian?" Dax asked suddenly.

"He had to fight Harris while Harris was in Gentanar's power," Marina exclaimed. She eyed the young doctor with worry. Julian appeared to be barely conscious, slumped against the wall, his eyes half closed, his breathing labored. Her heart skipped a beat. "Dax, stay here. I need to go to him."

"But Marina--"

"I'll tell you what to do. He needs me." She could feel it in her mind. She ran across the floor and knelt beside Julian, quickly taking his hand in hers. "Julian! Are you with me?"

Julian nodded wearily. "Yes. Barely." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, swallowing hard. "I can't--I don't think I can stay awake much longer."

Marina wasn't sure what to say. She sat down next to him and slid her arm gently around his shoulders, drawing his head to her shoulder. "Are you going to make it?" she whispered intensely.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar, like the rushing of wind. It _was _the rushing of wind.

Dax glanced quickly at one of the screens on the wall. "The storm wall is closing in!" she cried. "Hurry, Chief!"

"I'm working on it! Someone has jammed the controls with a Jem'Hadar phaser, and I'm trying to get it out!" Miles called back. "It's a very primitive tactic, but it sure is working!"

"Worf, go help him," Dax said quickly.

Worf nodded and looked to Marina. "Where is the engine room?"

Marina pointed to the door and turned back to Julian. "Julian? Are you all right? What can I do?"

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, sounding frustrated. "I can't think straight through this pain… Don't think I've felt anything like this before." He wrapped an arm around himself. "Can't hardly breathe."

The roar was getting louder.

"Julian! Are you going to make it?" Marina cried, touching his face.

Julian nodded. "I think so… I hope so… I think it's just the pain that's getting to me, and the weakness."

_So… the poor boy is dying, is he? _The voice entered Marina's mind subtly, smoothly.

_Shut up, Gentanar. He's not dying. He said he thinks he's going to make it. And he's a doctor, for crying out loud._

_You sure he's not just saying that so you won't worry about him?_

Marina blinked.

"Marina, what's going on?" Julian asked.

"Gentanar," Marina whispered. She looked at Julian closely, wondering for a split second if he really had lied to her to make her feel better. Then she dismissed the thought. She would have been able to sense it if he had been lying.

_I can stop the storm, Marina. All you have to do is agree to join me._

There was a loud tearing sound, then a clang and a whoosh.

"There went a piece of the roof!" Harris wailed.

_I don't believe you, Gentanar. Our gifts are with minds, not matter._

_Indeed. _

I _am the one who can stop the storm, not you._

_So you called my bluff. But the question is, will you be able to stop the storm in time?_

"I've got it!" Miles' voice boomed over the roaring of the wind.

"Marina, what do I do?" Dax called from the control panel.

"Push the blinking green button," Marina called.

"And then?"

"Hit the 'initiate' key on the middle panel. Instructions should appear on the middle screen. Follow them to program the weather. Use the codes on the screen on the upper right for wind speed and temperature."

"Got it."

_I can transport people with my mind, you know. If I get a fix on your mind, I can bring you to me._

_Then why haven't you done that already?_

_You were too far away. Just ask and I'll get you out of there--and your precious doctor, as well, if you so wish._

Suddenly afraid that Gentanar would transport her against her will, Marina concentrated on shielding her mind from his--and the minds of her friends. She felt as if a weight had physically lifted from her. And suddenly, there was no voice in her mind.

"I felt something coming from you," Julian said quietly, his voice heavy with weariness and pain. "Did you force him back?"

"I did," Marina said incredulously. "He can't break through my shields."

Suddenly, the roaring of the wind died down, and all was still.

"We've done it!" Dax cried triumphantly.

Marina and Julian sighed and leaned against each other, relieved.

"I'm proud of you, Marina," Julian said quietly. "You are far stronger than Gentanar believes."

"And far weaker than you believe," she replied.

"I don't think so," Julian said. He frowned suddenly. "I think I'll sleep now. I can't stay awake." His eyes closed.


	19. On the Edge of Destiny

Chapter Nineteen

"Should I wake him up?" Marina asked Dax as the Trill joined her by the door. "He just--just fell asleep! He won't go into a coma or anything, will he?"

Dax knelt beside Julian, studying him carefully. "No, I don't think so. I think he's just exhausted. I think we can let him sleep."

Marina gave her friend a grateful smile, then turned her eyes on Julian. Her heart constricted with worry. "Be all right… Please, love," she whispered, touching his face gently.

"How's Julian?" Miles asked as he and Worf joined the others.

"He should be all right," Dax said. "Looks like he's healing from whatever injuries he has. What happened to him anyway? I mean, I know Harris beat him up, but.. What kind of injuries does he have?"

"Broken ribs, cracked collarbone, lots of bruising," Marina replied. "He nearly died back there." She sighed and gently lowered Julian into her lap. He murmured something in his sleep, and she whispered softly in his ear.

"Looks like he's pulling through," Dax said encouragingly. "Sleep should be good for him, since he didn't' sustain any head injuries."

"Good," Miles said. He cleared his throat. "So… What do we do now?"

Marina looked up at him. "_I've_ got to get to Gentanar. I would like it if the rest of you took Julian to safety--and got to safety yourselves."

"Julian would never go for that," Miles said, shaking his head. "And neither would I."

"But… He's hurt. He can't go with me to face Gentanar. Someone has to take him to safety."

"And where exactly _is _safety on this crazy planet?" Dax remarked. "No. There's no way that is going to work. Either we all stand together, or we all fall separated."

"Right," Miles agreed.

"Like I said before, it will be an honor to die fighting alongside you," Worf put in.

Marina looked at the three of them and smiled slowly. "All right. I see that I won't be winning an argument against the three of you. Not unless I use my mind power to manipulate you, and I'm not too fond of doing that to people." She sighed, looking down at Julian. "But what do we do about Julian?"

(LINE)

The small Federation fleet had broken through the Dominion barricade, and the Federation ships were surrounding Catronis protectively.

"This is what Starfleet should have done in the first place," Captain Sisko muttered, standing on the bridge of the _Defiant_. "They should have sent an entire fleet to Catronis 5, not just a small band of officers."

Kira crossed her arms, a worried look in her brown eyes. "That is especially true since we read Odo's news on Gentanar."

"Indeed. If only we had known what that man is capable of!" Sisko shook his head. "We're lucky that Garak knew all this about Gentanar. If he didn't… we would be sitting ducks."

Kira tossed the captain a phaser. "Our friends down there _are_ sitting ducks. And they don't even know it. So let's beam down and lend them a hand."

(LINE)

"Julian, wake up. We need to get moving." Marina gently shook his shoulder. "I think I can lead us to Gentanar. Hurry."

Julian opened his eyes slowly. When he saw Marina, he smiled. "Hello there, beautiful."

Marina smiled. "As much as I would like to flirt, now, we have to leave this building." She frowned suddenly. "Do you think you can walk?"

Julian sat up on his own, wincing. "At least I can sit up." He looked around the room. It was dimly lit, and there was no one in sight. "Where are the others?"

"They're eating some rations outside. Do you want to join them?"

"Yes. I'm starving."

Marina stood and reached down to help Julian to his feet. To her surprise, he managed to stand quite easily. "That was smooth."

Julian shrugged gingerly. "Look at who you're talking about."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Marina whispered, gently wrapping her arms around him.

"I thought you said we had to hurry," Julian whispered in reply, stroking her hair. Her long, golden tresses had come loose of their braid.

"We have time for this," Marina said quietly. "I thought you were going to die back there. I'm so--I'm so glad you didn't."

"So am I. I would have missed you terribly." He kissed the top of her head, right next to the silver hair clip. Then he bent to kiss her lips. "I would have missed you terribly," he repeated, leaning his cheek against the top of her head.

They were quiet for a moment, simply holding each other. Then, slowly, Julian pulled back from her. "Marina," he said quietly, his voice and eyes intense.

Marina held her breath. She could feel that he was about to say something incredibly important.

"Marina, I--"

"You two need to get out here!" Miles' voice floated into the building. "Dax is eating all the food!"

"I am not!"

Julian looked away from Marina quickly. "Well, we'd best get out there. I need some food to help me get my strength back. And you _certainly_ need food. I'm sure you're rather worn out." He looked at her again. "Your first mission has been a bit difficult on you, hasn't it?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "So much has been asked of you already. I'm so proud of you for holding out so long. You _are_ stronger than anyone believes you to be."

Marina blushed lightly. "Come on, Julian." She took his hand. "Let's go get some supper."

They began walking toward the door. Julian walked slowly, bent over slightly. Marina held his hand tightly in hers, willing some of her strength--which she doubted was as much as he claimed--into him.

"This may be our last meal before we die," Worf was saying when the couple stepped out into the cool Catronis night air. "We should enjoy it--and the company of each other."

Harris, who stood beside the Klingon, frowned, staring down at the softly glowing heater than Miles had set up.

"Julian!" Miles exclaimed. "You're on your feet! That rest must have done you good!"

"It did." Julian reached out to pat his friend on the back. "And I'm glad to see that you've come through this ordeal unharmed."

"Luck of the Irish, I guess." Miles shrugged.

"Here. Take some of this food." Dax handed some rations to Marina and Julian.

"I thought you were the greedy one out here," Marina said, smiling at the Trill.

"Actually, that would be Worf. He has consumed more than the rest of us combined!" Dax elbowed her husband playfully.

"That is a severe miscalculation," Worf said.

"That is a joke," his wife replied.

The meal was finished in relative silence, then the officers gathered up their supplies.

"So, Lt. Richardson, which way is Gentanar?" Dax spoke up, hoisting her pack over her shoulder.

"I would assume he would be somewhere near Catronis 6--which is not far from here at all," Marina replied. "And when he spoke to me in my mind, his presence seemed to be in that general direction."

"Which way is that?" Miles asked.

Marina pointed away from the cave. "Back there. On the other side of the weather control center. I'd say a few miles. It take us more than a couple of hours to get there if we walk pretty quickly." She glanced at Julian in concern. "Julian, do you think you can do this?"

"Like we've already stated, I seem to be healing rather quickly. And I'm not letting you out of my sight. Not again."

Marina held his eyes for a moment. Unspoken promises passed between them.

"Well… shall we go?" Dax spoke up.

There was a chorus of agreement.

"Marina, you lead the way. You seem to be the navigator on this journey. Julian, you walk with her. The two of you seem to have the best eyesight. I'll take up the middle. Worf--you and Harris guard the rear." As everyone moved into position, Dax grabbed her husband's arm. "Worf," she whispered, "One reason I want you with Harris is because I still don't trust him. He may not be under Gentanar's influence, but he still dislikes the rest of us. And if he was weak-minded enough to be controlled in the first place, what's to keep it from happening again?"

Worf nodded. "Agreed. I will not only guard us from Dominion forces, but also from Harris."

"Good. I knew I could trust you." The Trill gave the Klingon a playful shove, then took her place in front of him in the line.

(LINE)

Sisko, Kira, Odo, Garak, and Quark beamed safely down to Catronis 6. The first thing that met their eyes was chaos. The base was in an uproar. People ran past them carrying weapons. The noise of explosions could be heard in the distance. And there were fierce snarling noises that none of the Deep Space Nine residents were familiar with.

Kira grabbed the arm of a woman running by, stopping her in her tracks. "What is going on?" she asked.

The woman's eyes were large and frightened. "We're under attack. The animals have gone crazy and are trying to get in. I think they want to eat us!"

"If the animals are making the growling noises, where are the explosions coming from?"

"We don't know!" the woman cried hysterically. "Phaser beams keep hitting the base!"

"Calm down," Kira said quietly. "Where are the beams coming from? Have any damaged the base yet?"

The woman shrugged, then shook her head. "We don't know where they're coming from. But they haven't yet penetrated our shields. We have very strong shields here at Catronis 6." She smiled proudly for a moment, then her smiled quickly faded into a look of fear. "I must take these weapons to the security commander."

"We're here to help," Kira said. "What can we do?"

"But… what about the others?" Odo whispered to her.

Kira glanced at him over her shoulder. "It looks like the only way we can help them is to get rid of the animal control problem. Otherwise, we won't even be able to get to them. And anyway…" She sighed and looked into the distance. "I have this strange feeling that they're coming this way. I think they're getting closer…"

(LINE)

Marina held up her hand in a fist as a signal for everyone to get down low.

"What is it?" Worf asked quickly.

"I sense something… someone." Marina looked ahead across the rocky terrain. "I think--I think Major Kira is here… And…" She frowned, confused. "Quark?"

"Quark?" Julian repeated incredulously.

"Captain Sisko… Garak… and Odo, I think." Her hopes soared. "I think it's some sort of rescue party. And from what I can sense, they are in Catronis 6!"

"Great!" Dax exclaimed. "I guess we should try to regroup with them before facing down this psycho guy."

"An excellent idea," Worf said.

"All right, then. To Catronis 6," Dax ordered. She turned to Marina. "Navigator, take us home."

"Yes, sir." Marina saluted her theatrically, stood, and started walking once again. The others followed her.

Catronis' sun had all but disappeared beneath the horizon. The stars were beginning to glow brightly. Marina looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, feeling an odd, sickening sense of melancholy washing over her. She suddenly remembered on of her strange dream/visions, the one in which she had been looking at the stars and it had been raining in space…

"Marina, darling, are you all right?" Julian asked, his voice close and warm. He slipped an arm around her shoulders.

Marina walked closer to him and slipped an arm around his slender waist. "I'll be fine. I'm just feeling… out of place, I guess. I feel so nervous leading. Nothing sounds more appealing right now than being curled up with a good book in my room, or playing someone else in the holo-suite with you and Miles." She sighed. "I want to be anywhere but here," she whispered. "I mean--I want to finish this mission and help these people, but… I feel so inadequate, like I might mess up. And I fear that."

Julian smiled down at her. "Even if you do mess up, you'll go down in history as a hero. Look at what you've already accomplished!"

"And what is that?" Marina retorted.

"You knocked out all those Dominion troops. You found Harris and me. You got us out of the tunnels. You helped fix the weather control computers. And… you saved my life…"

Marina smiled. "That's my favorite part." She abruptly buried her face in his shoulder, watching where she was going through his eyes, his mind. "I wouldn't have done anything without you. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes," he answered candidly. "We need each other desperately. And we make a wonderful team."

Marina straightened and smiled. "Thanks for the pep talk, Julian. I feel much better about facing Gentanar now." Someone's flashlight beam from behind her reminded her to retrieve her own device. It was certainly getting dark.

"Marina, we've been through so much already, so early on in our relationship," Julian said suddenly, his words rushing out almost unintelligibly, his British accent suddenly very heavy and distinct. "We've only known each other for… what? A week, maybe. And, well, uhm--" He paused to catch his breath, which still sounded a bit ragged. He coughed lightly and cleared his throat. "Well, we seem to get along so well. I can't stand being apart from you for very long. We've told each other that we love each other, and…" His voice trailed off, and he suddenly stopped walking, staring straight ahead.

Marina, who had been staring at _him_, holding her breath, enraptured by his words, also stopped walking and looked ahead as well. What she saw sent a tremor through her bones.

Julian recovered from his shock before her and was able to say, "Stop! Look!"

The others all stopped and looked.

There it stood, the creature that had stopped Julian and Marina in their tracks, its eyes glowing eerily green in the flashlight beams. It was four legged and dark, built low to the ground, lean, and hairless, but with a protruding, grotesque hunchback. Its face was like a frightening parody of a cat's face, similar, but broader, with more slanted eyes and larger fangs. Its paws sported long, sharp black claws. And at the end of its long, thin tail was a stinger, like that of a scorpion.

"What _is _that thing?" Miles whispered, his voice breathless.

"It's some sort of animal," Dax managed.

"I know that!" the engineer replied. "But what _is _it?"

"Nothing like that appeared on the Catronis animal register," Marina whispered.

Julian stood protectively close to her, slowly drawing his phaser. "Do you think it will try to attack us?" he asked her quietly, keeping his eyes on the creature.

"I don't know," she replied. "Julian, I'm a scientist. I have studied animal life forms from nearly every known solar system. And I have never, ever read about anything like _that._"

Suddenly, words, ragged, breathless, hostile, and growling, slashed through her mind like claws.

_Who are you, human? _


	20. Legendary?

Chapter Twenty

Surely not. Surely that thing, that creature, was no sentient being. Marina reached out at it with her mind. She touched its feelings quickly. This thing was capable of intelligent thought, of emotions.

_Let us pass_, Marina sent to it, keeping her thoughts stern and unwavering. _Let us pass and we will not harm you._

_I don't feel very inclined to let you pass. _The creature looked at her with cold eyes.

_We have weapons. If you do not let us pass, we will be forced to use them._

"Marina, what's going on?" Julian whispered.

"I don't think it understands oral speech," Marina explained quietly. "But I can speak to it mind-to-mind. It doesn't want to let us pass." She turned back to the creature. _Are you not afraid of our weapons?_

_No. I'm not. _It laid down on the ground, crossing its paws in front of itself. Then it began to lick its long, clawed paws. With every lick, the light from Marina and Julian's flashlights gleamed on its long fangs. _I've spoken to one like you before, woman. And your kind does not frighten me. Neither do your weapons. _It looked up and gave her what could only be described as a smile, which looked horribly grotesque on such a face. _If you attack me, I will kill that male beside you first. If my sense of smell is as good as I think it is, then I am sure he is wounded, the weakest of your party at this time. Yes, I shall take him down first. _It continued licking its paws. _From what I have observed, I do believe you are quite attached to him. Perhaps you even desire him as a mate?_

Marina blinked. _You are very observant. But I don't understand why you won't let us pass._

It looked at her again, appearing almost bored with her. _You seem to be a capable, intelligent being. Figure it out for yourself, why don't you?_ Its tail flicked impatiently.

_You said that you'd spoken to someone like me before. You are on Gentanar's side, aren't you?_

_Close enough, little female. I'm not on his _side, _but I _am _working for him--for a price. My kind does no favors without getting something in return._

Marina rolled her eyes at the creature, hoping it noticed. _How very noble. How very grand. You impress me. Certainly your kind is unique in the universe. _She laced her thoughts heavily with sarcasm.

The creature stood up suddenly, making the Starfleet officers back up a step. It glared at Marina. _Do not demean my race so lightly, girl. If what Gentanar tells me is correct, there is a legendary beast told of in your culture that highly resembles my kind._

_Yes, the manticore. _Marina stepped forward and held up her chin, determined not to let this beast intimidate her. _But if your kind is the way they seem to be, I see nothing legendary in them. Serving a maniacal tyrant with plans to take over the worlds in return for a few favors doesn't sound very legendary to me, unless of course, you're talking about the petty minions who serve the evil tyrants in all the legends.  
_

The creature hunched up its back and snarled at the young science officer.

"Marina…" Julian squeezed her shoulder.

"Shall I fire at it?" Worf asked.

"No, wait. It says it isn't afraid of our weapons," Marina cautioned.

"She's right," Dax agreed. "We've never encountered anything like this before. We don't even know if our phasers will work against it."

Marina turned back to the creature. _Let us pass, or I will have to find out from experience whether or not our weapons work on your ignoble hide. _

_You have courage, I'll give you that. _The manticore creature hissed, whether at itself or at her, Marina was not sure. _I really don't think you should try to pass me. If you succeeded, Gentanar would kill you anyway, and my kind would lose a valuable gift. And if you didn't…_ It smiled. _I'd be dragging your corpses to the nearest Fadroth den. _

_There are Fadroths on this planet?_

_Don't let that distract you. _The beast shrugged its twisted, hunched shoulders. _Gentanar brought many things to this wasteland when he came. That's not important to the problem at hand. What _is _important is that I am growing impatient with you. If you don't turn around and go back to where you came from, I will have to kill you--starting with your male friend there. _

Marina swallowed, suddenly feeling very nervous. "Worf, I think you might need to get your weapons ready. It doesn't want to let us pass." She turned to Julian. "I think it's going to come after you first."

Julian tightened his grip on his phaser. "I'll be ready."

"Wait! Can't we just go back and find another way?" Miles spoke up. "I really don't want to see Julian get eaten by this manticore thing."

"I think now that it's spotted us, it probably won't let us out of its sight," Dax said quietly.

"So… we--we're going to have to fight it?" Harris asked nervously.

"I see no other way around the situation," Worf replied.

"It's not scared of our phasers, but maybe there is another way to fight it." Julian looked at Marina. "Do you think you could do to it what you did to those Dominion soldiers?"

"I don't know." Marina held his gaze, feeling very anxious. "It seems to have a stronger mind than those Cardassians and Jem'Hadar."

"But does it have a stronger mind than _you_?" he asked quietly.

Everyone was looking at her. "I… don't… know…" Marina bit her lip.

"We don't have time for this!" Miles exclaimed. "It looks like that thing is about to pounce!"

They all turned at the same time.

And indeed. The creature was leaping into the air.

(LINE)

Darien Fang woke up with a horrible headache. Then suddenly, he remembered the smoke billowing through the tunnels, the calling voices that had faded away, shadows in the smoke… _Where am I?_

The base leader sat up quickly. He looked around, taking in his surroundings, and groaned. He was still in the caves, seated on a slab of rock that seemed to have been carved as a stone bed. Not very comfortable or very practical.

"Prince? Rogers?" Fang called, hoping to find that his men were nearby. The only answer to his call was a mocking echo. Darien Fang, leader of the Catronis 6 colony, was alone in a cave--and he had no idea how he had gotten there.

(LINE)

Marina and Julian jumped back, and the creature missed, landing right in front of them.

Worf jumped in front of the others and fired his phaser twice, hitting the creature each time. The beast growled in rage, but seemed unaffected.

Everyone drew their phasers and fired. The phaser beams hit the strange animal, but it seemed to just absorb them. It stretched and smiled, its eyes catching Marina's mockingly. _See, little human? I do not fear your weapons. _Then it leaped over Worf to stand in front of Marina and Julian. It started pacing, keeping its eyes on the couple.

"What's it doing?" Miles exclaimed.

"I don't know!" Dax cried. "But our phasers don't seem to work on it!"

The creature stopped suddenly, right in front of Julian. _You're mine, human. _It crouched low, ready to pounce.

"Julian! Move!" Marina screamed.

"No! If I do, it will just follow me, or attack one of you!"

"Move!" Marina cried.

He shook his head.

_Oh, God, please…_

_Praying to your God, girl?_

_Yes…_

_It won't work._

_How would you know?_

_Not even a god can stand between a Vanfor and his prey._

Vanfor… his… So it was called a Vanfor and it was male.

_Stand back from Julian, Vanfor, or I will be forced to fight you._

It laughed in her mind. _What can you do?_

_You'd be surprised what a human female will do for the male she's chosen as her mate, _Marina sent angrily. _And don't underestimate my prayers._

_You're brave, like I said before, but you're stupid. Too bad. Now you will pay for your stupidity by watching your friends die. _It suddenly spun around, using its tail like a whip, lashing out at Julian with the stinger.

Julian ducked just in time. The stinger whooshed right over his head.

Marina ran to him and helped him to his feet, then she turned to the Vanfor, still holding Julian's hand. _Now you will pay for _your _stupidity. _She sent a burst of angry energy at the creature.

It reared back in surprise, tossing its head, obviously in pain. But then it turned to face Marina, planting its claws firmly in the ground.

"No," Marina said aloud. "You will not defeat me." She closed her eyes and reached out for the Vanfor's mind, intent on knocking the creature unconscious.

"Marina…" Julian squeezed her hand. "You can open your eyes now."

She opened them. The Vanfor was lying on its side, its eyes closed. "Did I kill it?" she asked quietly.

"No. I can see it breathing," Julian said.

"Well, what do we do with it?" Miles asked.

"Starfleet would love to study this thing," Dax said. "I don't think anything like it has ever been documented to exist."

"But we can't take it with us," Miles said. "It might wake up. And we can't just carry it around."

"There _is _always the option of killing it," Worf said.

"Yes, but… What a loss to science!" Dax exclaimed.

"I think maybe I can freeze its mind in a sleeping state," Marina said quietly, rubbing her arms, which had abruptly gone cold. "Uhm, I could try that, yeah."

"Are you all right?" Julian whispered.

"No." Marina turned to look at him. "Every time I do something like this, it drains me."

"Then maybe it would be too risky for you to try to put that creature in a coma," he said quietly.

"No. That seems to be our only option." She looked to Dax and Worf, the ranking officers. "Shall I try to freeze it in sleep? We could come back for it then."

The husband and wife looked at each other, then nodded.

Marina turned to the Vanfor's sleeping form.

(LINE)

"Did you just feel that, captain?" Kira asked as she, Sisko, Odo, Garak, and Quark helped the people of Catronis 6 repair a wall damaged by animals.

"Feel what?"

"I don't know…" Kira frowned. "I just felt _something. _It sort of… touched my mind."

"Lt. Richardson must be nearby," Odo spoke up. "As we all know well, she has mind powers."

"Yes. I think it was her." Kira looked through a window in the wall, out into the night. "I think she's very close now. And if she is, then the others must be."

"Most certainly Dr. Bashir is with her," Garak said.

"And hopefully Dax and the others," Quark added. "The more the merrier--and the more patrons for my bar."

(LINE)

Julian watched Marina carefully as they walked toward Catronis 6. Her eyes looked almost haunted. He frowned. Too much had been asked of her.

"What?" Marina looked up at him abruptly.

"I'm just worried about you, that's all," he said quietly. "You look so tired."

"I am." Marina sighed. Then she smiled. "But you lend me strength."

"Once again, you saved my life," Julian said. "I feel a bit like a burden to you. I mean, I should be the one taking care of you. And I'm--I'm not."

"Yes. You are," Marina answered vehemently. "Don't even think that you're not. You're always asking me if I'm all right. You're always giving me these inspiring speeches…" She smiled crookedly. "I still think it's a shame that I had to miss you being King Henry V, and saying 'We few, we happy few.'"

Julian laughed.

"We'll have to have some fun in the holo-suite once we get back," Miles spoke up from behind them. "What program do you want to try out next?"

"Actually, I'd like to try Julian's secret agent program," Marina said. "I've heard so much about it."

"Bashir, Julian Bashir," Julian said suavely.

Marina laughed this time.

"Look!" Julian exclaimed suddenly. "I think we've found the base!"

Up ahead, twinkling with lights, was Catronis 6.

"Finally," Marina whispered. "We're here."

(Author's Note: Fadroths will be explained later in the story. They're not from the existing Star Trek universe, 'cause I made them up, but I'm going to weave them into the story. Anyway, thanks to everyone for reviewing! Your comments, compliments, and kind criticisms have really helped me keep this story going. It's been a blast. And it's not over yet! (I'm going to cry when it is... sniff))


	21. The Battle for the Base

Chapter Twenty-one

(Wow, I can't believe it! I usually can't finish anything, not to mention getting to more than twenty chapters! I have so enjoyed writing this.)

Catronis 6 was surrounded by animals. _Wild _animals.

"The Vanfor was right," Marina said quietly. She and the others were keeping low, hidden behind a large rock formation that oddly resembled a human hand. "There _are _Fadroths on Catronis. And they've got the base surrounded."

"I also see some canine mammals," Dax added. "Perhaps natives of the planet."

"I'm sure the Fadroths stirred them up," Marina said, her voice low with a hint of anger. "They are known to cause trouble. Of course Gentanar would bring some here."

"Those big lizard things… Those are Fadroths?" Miles asked.

"Yes." Marina nodded. "They are violent, aggressive creatures. And under the sway of someone like Gentanar, I am sure they are even more so."

"So what do we do?" Harris asked.

"I say we attack," Whorf spoke up. "There is no other way. The base is surrounded. We cannot go around those animals. If we want to see our allies, we will have to break through."

Dax nodded. "I agree with you. That seems to be our only choice."

Julian frowned. "But… How are we--the six of us--supposed to fight twenty or so angry, large wild animals? The odds seemed rather stacked against us."

Miles shrugged. "Sounds like fun."

Whorf nodded, smiling. "It is a good day to die."

"And we've got our secret weapon," Dax said. She clapped a hand on Marina's shoulder. "We've got Lieutenant Marina Richardson, psychogenotron extraordinaire."

Julian's frown deepened as he looked at Marina. Her eyes were large and bright in her slender face, giving her a waif-like look. They looked so haunted, so weary. It almost made him want to take her in his arms and sing comforting lullabies to her so she would feel better. "I'm concerned about Marina," he said aloud. "We've asked so much of her already. I think she's tiring. Using her mind as a weapon seems to put a strain on her. Remember how she fainted after knocking out those Dominion troops?"

"Yes, but that Vanfor creature had a much stronger mind," Miles said. "And she had no trouble taking him out."

"The Chief's got a point, Julian." Dax patted the doctor's shoulder as well. "Maybe Marina is improving with practice."

Julian clamped his lips together tightly.

"Julian, it's okay." Marina's fingers lightly brushed his arm. "I'll be all right. So far, using my mind like this doesn't seem to hurt me. It only makes me a little tired, that's all."

Julian touched her face gently, his long, slender fingers tracing its soft curves. "Marina, I don't want to risk anything happening to you. If anything did--"

Marina caught his hand in hers and squeezed it gently, smiling at the overwhelming concern she saw in his large, beautiful eyes. "That' s a risk I'm willing to take," she said quietly, her smile sad and tired, but full of love and loyalty. "I would die for you. You know that."

"Yes, but I don't _want_ you to." Julian slipped an arm around her and impulsively pulled her close, holding her tightly to him, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain it caused his body.

"I won't die, I'm sure," Marina said, letting him hold her. "And what other choice do we have?"

"She's right, Julian," Dax said softly, touched by the scene. "We have no other choice."

"All right then!" he exclaimed. He closed his eyes, leaning his cheek on top of Marina's head. "I give in. But I don't want to…"

"I know," Marina whispered into his shoulder.

(LINE)

"They're closer now," Kira informed the others. They were hiding behind a wall, waiting for the creatures outside to break through. It seemed inevitable.

"Why can you sense Marina so well, Nerys?" Odo asked curiously.

"We're good friends." Kira peered around the wall. So far, the outer defenses were holding. But it couldn't last long… "I like her. Maybe that's why I can sense her so well."

"Well wherever she is, I wish she would hurry," Quark complained. "I'm not cut out for this sort of thing."

Garak smiled crookedly. "I agree. I just can't seem to picture you… What is it that humans say? Defending the castle! That's it. I just can't see Quark defending the castle."

"Haha. Very funny. And this coming from the most _noble _of persons," Quark retorted.

"This would all be much easier if the two of you would shut up," Odo said.

"I agree with the constable," Sisko spoke up. "Let us concentrate on defending our lives and the lives of these colonists. This is no time for arguing."

"Well put, Captain," Garak agreed quickly.

(LINE)

"Phasers work on Fadroth's, right?" Miles asked, gripping his weapon.

"Yes," Dax said. "And hopefully, they work on those Catronis wolves. If not…" She turned to Marina with a smile. "We've got our wildcard."

"Our hero," Julian said quietly. He smiled wryly at his girlfriend. "I still wish you didn't have to do this."

"I know. So do I. But I have to. So I'm going to." Marina reached to touch his hair. "You feeling all right?" She reached out to touch his feelings with her mind.

"I'm fine," Julian said quickly.

"I think you're healing quite well." Marina patted his shoulder gently. "But you're still weak. So… be careful, love."

"I will."

"We need to hurry," Whorf spoke up. "Lieutenant, now is the time."

Marina nodded quickly at the Klingon, then turned back to Julian. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, smiling.

"I'm glad you said that," she replied, standing.

"So am I."

Marina glanced back at him one last time, then stepped out of hiding and walked toward the ring of wild creatures surrounding the base of Catronis 6. She stopped when she was halfway between the animals and her hidden allies. Closing her eyes, she touched the minds of the creatures, examining them carefully. There were twenty in all, as Julian had guessed. The Fadroths were confident of victory, the wolves full of rage. There was something wrong with the Fadroths' minds. Marina probed deeper. Aha! They were under Gentanar's mind control! If only she could break his hold over them… Then maybe _she _could control them and use them to scare away the wolf-things… But that would take so long…

Too late. One of the Catronis wolves had caught her scent. It howled a warning call to the others, and suddenly, the entire pack was looking at Marina. She could feel it.

Marina opened her eyes. The wolves were coming towards her. And now, the Fadroths had caught sight of her. Marina took a nervous step backwards as the animals advanced slowly. There would be no time to try to remove whatever hold Gentanar had over them. There would only be time to fight.

_Well_, Marina thought, _At least we've distracted them from hounding the base. _

"Marina?" Dax called from behind the rock.

"All right. Come on out. We're going to have to fight," Marina replied.

(LINE)

"What's going on?" Sisko exclaimed. "The animals are leaving!"

"Do you think they've given up?" Quark cried happily.

"No," said Kira, peering through the darkness. She could make out a humanoid-shaped shadow in the distance. "I think they've just been distracted. And once they deal with that distraction, they'll probably come back." Adjusting the setting on her phaser, Kira stepped out from behind the wall and began walking toward the door.

"Nerys! What are you doing?" Odo called.

"If my instincts are right, that's Marina out there. She's giving us a distraction," Kira called back. "Captain, I say we rally the forces and take advantage of this." She glanced back with a smile. "Our enemies' backs are to us."

(LINE)

Marina felt much braver as she sensed her comrades gathering behind her. A long, slender hand settled on her shoulder, and she grasped it tightly. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to Julian.

He was oddly quiet, and she sensed that he was very nervous, especially for her.

The wild creatures were very close now. The wolf-like Catronis beasts snarled, and the giant reptilian Fadroths hissed.

"I hate having to fight them like this," Julian said suddenly. "They are buy pawns of that Gentanar fellow, that bloody--"

"Heads up!" Marina cried as one of the Fadroths leaped toward them.

There was a sudden flash of light. The animal jerked in the air and landed hard on its side, lying motionless on the ground.

"Nerys!" Marina cried happily. "It looks like we have back up!"

And sure enough, Kira, Sisko, Odo, and a large company of Catronis 6 guards were flanking the hostile animals.

"Let's not let our guard down," Whorf cautioned, moving forward and firing his phaser.

The two groups of allies soon closed in, pinning the enemy between them.

"Marina, can you convince them to surrender?" Julian asked, firing at and hitting a Catronis wolf that had bitten at him.

"I don't think so. Even without Gentanar's control, I believe they would still be hostile." She aimed a shot at a Fadroth and brought it down.

It wasn't long at all before all of the creatures had fallen. And there were few injuries to the ones who had taken them down.

"Marina! I'm so glad you're all right!" Kira ran to the girl and gave her a quick hug, then greeted Dax in a similar manner. "I'm so glad all of you made it here."

Sisko came up behind her, frowning. "But where is Fang? And what happened to you, Dr. Bashir?"

"We lost Fang and his men in the tunnels," Dax explained. "And Harris, while under Gentanar's control, fought with Julian. I think the doctor's going to be all right, though."

Marina looped her arm through Julian's. "He is," she agreed.

"Only because of Marina," Julian said, smiling crookedly. "She has been a real hero. She saved our lives a number of times. Her mind powers are beyond anything we could have imagined."

Odo nodded to Marina admiringly.

Marina smiled at him.

"Captain, we were attacked by this creature back there--a Vanfor," Dax added. "Marina was able to put it to sleep with her mind. It's like nothing we've ever encountered. If we could take it captive--"

Sisko held up his hand. "All in good time, Jadzia. But for now--we have to find out what happened to Fang and his men." He eyed his crew with an eyebrow raised. "_After_ all of you get a good night's sleep. I have Quark preparing a place for us, assisted by Garak."

Miles snorted. "I don't know if I would feel safe camping with those two."

"Don't worry," Odo said. "I'll have my eyes on them…"

"What do we do about the enemy, Captain?" Whorf asked.

Sisko turned to Marina. "Do you think you can put them all in a trance, Marina? That is, until we can find some way to break Gentanar's control over them."

Marina frowned. "The Fadroths will be hostile no matter what we do. But these other creatures--I may be able to get through to them." She shrugged. "For now, though, I'll freeze them all unconscious."

"All right. You do that, lieutenant."

(LINE)

"That should do it." Marina sighed wearily, stepping back from the still body of one of the Fadroths. "That's the last one."

It was very late, and only Julian and Kira remained awake with her. Julian had spent much of his time tending to the few who had been wounded in the battle. And both Julian and Kira had volunteered to guard Marina while she froze the Fadroths and Catronis wolves (called Canings by the colonists) in sleep. The others had gone to the little campsite Quark and Garak had prepared.

"You look so tired." Julian touched her arm. "I think you need to sleep."

"I agree." Marina could barely hold her eyes opened.

"So do you, doctor," Kira said. "You look pretty tired yourself."

"I am," said Julian. He smiled suddenly. "So… shall we call it a night?"

Marina nodded. "We shall."

The three of them walked together towards the base, picking their way around their fallen enemies.

The campsite was set up just inside Catronis 6's walls. It was small and simple, consisting of a pallet for each Deep Space Nine resident, all set in a circle around a small heater. The camp would not impose on the colonists, and it was a convenient location in case of an emergency.

The three friends soon came within the walls. Everyone was asleep except for Odo, who was taking his shift as lookout. Odo greeted them briefly, then continued scanning the dark horizon.

Kira quickly collapsed onto an empty pallet. "Good-night everyone," she muttered, closing her eyes.

The remaining two pallets were beside each other, and Julian and Marina settled onto them. With a furtive glance at Odo, who seemed to not be paying attention, Julian leaned over and kissed Marina quickly. "Good-night, darling," he whispered.

Marina smiled at him. "Good-night." She took his hand and squeezed it, then laid down, still holding his hand. It gave her such peace, such security, to know that he was near--especially after such a day!

Julian sat there watching her, holding her hand, until she fell asleep, which wasn't long. Then, he laid down, weary and sore. Sleep did not take long in conquering him, either.

(Yeah, all that was too easy, wasn't it? Marina and Julian and the other Deep Space Niners have no clue what's going to happen next. This time, the battle will not be so easily won. Sorry if it's taking me so long to update. And thank-you for reading and reviewing! I am loving writing this story, and I hope that you are loving reading it!)


	22. Pride Goeth Before

Don't worry, Elouise 82. There is much trouble on the way for the crew, especially for Marina, who will find it rather hard to remain her perfect self. Get ready, everyone, here comes the conflict!

Chapter Twenty-two

When Marina woke up, she could smell wood smoke, which was odd, because the heater ran on a power generator, not wood. Why, that was archaic. She opened her eyes slowly, surprised at how dark it seemed. She was sure that it must be morning by now. She felt as if she had slept for eons.

"Marina, just be still and stay calm," came Julian's voice from close beside her.

She felt his arm slide around her shoulders. "What is going on?" Her eyes finally opened completely. Her heart nearly stopped. There was smoke everywhere, thick, black, billowing smoke, blocking Catronis' sun from view. "Julian! What's happening?"

"Just calm down." Julian was kneeling beside her, his eyes large and worried. "Something has happened."

Marina felt her stomach clench. "What? Is everyone all right?"

"Most everyone, yes."

"What do you mean 'most?'" Marina snapped.

"There was an explosion. Gentanar attacked us last night. We--we're his prisoners."

"What?" Marina felt cold all over. "What? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"Marina, we tried. He--he froze you in sleep, just as you froze all of his creatures."

"If only he hadn't! I could have--I could have done something!" Marina cried. She stood quickly and looked around. Catronis 6 looked much the same--except that the forest around it was burning, and the walls were charred. "Why did he bomb the forest?"

Julian stood beside her. "It was a distraction. He and his men scaled the walls while we tried to stop the fire from reaching the base. We succeeded, but…" Julian swallowed. "So did they."

"Where is everyone?"

"Inside the buildings."

"Then why are we out here?" Marina asked, frowning in confusion and despair.

"A good question." Julian looked near to tears.

"And one I will kindly answer," said a voice from nearby.

Marina and Julian turned. Neither was surprised at the voice's source.

"Gentanar," Marina muttered, making the name sound like a curse.

"The very same." The handsome blonde man smiled brightly. He walked closer. He looked like an angel of light with the dark backdrop of smoke behind him. He finally stopped walking when he was very close to the couple. "I wanted you out here. The two of you are my favorite prisoners, so I set you apart from the others." He nodded to Julian. "By the way, doctor, it was good of you to open the door for me."

Marina glanced at Julian quickly. The doctor tightened his jaw and said nothing, staring at the ground. "Julian… is this true? Why did you--?"

"Some of the colonists died, Marina," Julian said quickly, not meeting her eyes. "We were fighting a losing battle. We did what we had to, to save our lives. And yours."

"You opened the door for him?"

"I was one of the ones who actually did the ugly deed, yes." He finally looked at her, his eyes shiny and sad.

"Oh." Marina felt oddly disappointed in Julian, and in the others. Why hadn't they fought harder? Why hadn't they found some way to awaken her? Surely she could have done something. Surely _they _could have done something…

_Doubting your friends and your lover? _came Gentanar's voice in her mind. His mental presence stroked hers soothingly, smoothly. _They don't quite have my skills, do they? Who do you think woke you up at last? Certainly not this arrogant young doctor._

Marina looked at Julian again. He certainly did not look arrogant. He looked tragic--ashamed, sheepish, and dreadfully sorrowful.

"I'm sorry, Marina," he whispered, as if he were the one reading her thoughts. "We tried." His voice shook a little.

_Do you know that your friends just left you lying there after they found that they could not wake you? They were so busy defending these colonists that they don't even know. Sure, Bashir checked on you once or twice, but… They didn't seem overly concerned about you to me._

_Shut up. Stop it. Get out of my head before I put up shields. My friends were doing their jobs. You're twisting things._

_Am I? I thought I was simply stating facts…_

Marina slammed her mind shut on him, glaring at him. She quickly glanced at Julian. He was looking at her intensely, as if she were one of the specimens in his medical lab. Was he doubting her, too?

"Come with me," Gentanar said quickly, before either of them could speak to the other. "Both of you. We are leaving this place."

Marina shook her head. "What about the others?"

"They will not be harmed," the psychogenotron said.

"I don't trust you," Marina replied.

"Look into my mind." Gentanar stepped closer and reached out, taking Marina's wrists in his hands. He placed her fingers on his temples. "Mind meld with me." He reached to touch the pointed tip of one of her ears. His touch was surprisingly gentle and warm. "Then you can see if I am telling the truth."

"All--all right," Marina said. She felt unsure, but she had to know the truth.

"Marina--" Julian started, his voice full of caution.

"Stay out of this, human," Gentanar snapped. "You know nothing of our ways."

"Marina." Julian's voice was low and cold. "Don't let him tell you what to do."

"I'm not the one telling her what to do," Gentanar replied. "I was simply offering a suggestion. _You_, young man, are the one who is trying to dominate this young lady's life."

"I am not!" Julian exclaimed hotly, taking a step forward. "Marina, you don't have to do anything he says."

"It's okay, Julian," Marina said impatiently. "I have to know if he is telling the truth. And yes, we have to do what he says. He is our captor."

"Marina!" Julian cried. "Where are you? Where is the powerful psychogenotron who defeated so many foes in the past? Where is the girl who said she would stand up to Gentanar? Can she have fled away so fast?"

_I'm still here, _Marina sent to Julian. _We just have to play along with him for now, all right? _She sent her thoughts laced with impatience and annoyance.

_I don't think so, _Julian thought at her. His eyes were stormy. _I know you are powerful. Surely you can do _something.

_It's a little late for me to do something, now isn't it? I could have done _something _if someone had woken me up! _

_We tried that! Honest to God, we tried!_

_Well, you failed, so here we are now. _Marina winced, wishing she could take the words back.

Julian looked stricken. _Marina, what if you couldn't have done anything? Are you so proud as to think that _you _are the one factor that determines who wins the victory? _

_Well, isn't that what you want me to be? You want me to do something, be the hero. But I--I can't._

Julian stopped thinking at her. But she could sense his feelings. He was angry at her, but more than that, sad, hurt by her thoughts. "Why can't you, Marina?" he whispered aloud. "Why?"

Marina was silent. She turned back to Gentanar. "All right. I'll mind meld with you."

"Marina, that means he can get into your mind, too," Julian warned. "Don't do this."

"I'm strong enough to do this, Julian," Marina replied, not looking at him. She was confident that she could get inside Gentanar's mind without him getting into hers. Why wasn't Julian? If he believed that she could make some aggressive move against Gentanar, why didn't he believe she could do this?

"She's right, you know," Gentanar said smugly, smirking at Julian. "She's strong enough. Why can't you see that?" He slipped an arm around Marina's waist, resting his hand in the small of her back.

"Get your hands off her," Julian said through his teeth.

Marina tensed, not sure what to do. She felt like she _had _to mind meld with this man, but… She certainly did not feel comfortable with his arm around her, no matter how handsome he was.

"You don't think she loves you enough to resist me?" Gentanar asked suddenly.

Marina quickly pulled back from him, not liking the way this was going. She stepped back, stepped closer to Julian.

Julian was silent.

"Come on, Marina." Gentanar motioned to her. "Let's try this again."

"Please--please don't--don't touch me," Marina stammered, feeling nervous and very cold.

"You didn't like it?" The blonde man smiled crookedly.

"Just--just don't."

"Who are you to give orders? As I recall, _I _am your captor."

Marina felt the anger emanating from Julian. The doctor was barely holding it back. "It--it'll be all right, Julian," she said quickly. "I have to do this."

"No you don't, Marina," he replied quickly, grabbing her arm. "He's lying. Can't you figure that out without having to mind meld with the man?"

"If I were lying, would I openly invite her to read my mind?" Gentanar asked, crossing his arms. "Since you are my prisoners, this is a very kind act on my part."

Marina turned to Julian and quickly kissed him on the lips. "It's okay," she said quietly, touching his face.

He shook his head sadly, taking her hand in his and holding it against his cheek. "No it's not," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Marina drew her hand gently from his. "It will have to be." She turned and walked to Gentanar. "All right. I will mind meld with you." She reached out and touched his temples with her fingers, trying to ignore his arms going around her, trying to ignore it when he pulled her close to him, trying to ignore it when he put his cheek next to hers.

But Julian could not ignore it--especially when Gentanar looked over Marina's shoulder and smirked at him.

"No!" Julian cried. "I will not allow this! Marina, that man is using you!" He took a step forward.

Marina felt the anger flaring up in Gentanar, and the power. "No!" she cried, breaking from the man's grasp.

Gentanar sent some thought, some mind power at Julian.

Julian suddenly bent over and collapsed to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself.

Marina acted fast. She quickly slapped Gentanar with all of her might and ran to Julian's side, pulling him into her arms. She glared up at Gentanar, who was laughing at the sight. "What did you do to him?" she shouted angrily.

"I merely undid the healing that his mind had already begun on his wounds," the psychogenotron explained. "A mere trick. Everything in the body is controlled by the brain, so everything can be manipulated. You could have healed him completely by now." He laughed at Marina's incredulous look. "Well, you can't heal him now. Not with me here. I would just block it."

"Julian…" Marina murmured, stroking his forehead, running her fingers through his hair. _Hang on, _she thought to him. _I'll do something._

"If you try anything, I'll make sure he doesn't survive," Gentanar said suddenly, as if reading her thoughts, even though she had them--and Juilan's--blocked from him.

Marina glared at him.

_Just don't let him trick you into anything, _Julian thought to her, his presence weak and wavering. _And don't let that infernal pride of yours get in the way of your good sense, _he added. He smiled wryly at her.

_I'm paying for my pride now, _Marina replied. She looked up at the sky. _God forgive me…_

(LINE)

Gentanar led Marina and Julian, who staggered along with Marina's support, to a storage building outside of Catronis 6's walls. It was furnished with a sleeping roll, a fire pit, logs, matches, a make-shift chimney, blankets, water, and food. Gentanar had prepared it for them already.

Marina shot him an icy glare as she helped Julian down on the pallet.

"He was right, you know," her enemy said, smiling brightly. His teeth were extraordinarily white.

"About what?" Marina asked, not looking at him. Instead, she focused her attention on Julian, checking on the bandages around his waist, feeling his warm forehead.

"I lied. Of course your allies will come to harm."

Marina's heart missed a beat. "What are you going to do to them?" she asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep the panic out of her voice.

"Hmmmmm… I don't know." He rubbed his square jaw. "That all depends on you, I suppose. If you cooperate, I might be convinced to spare them…"

Marina looked up at him, trying to keep her features void of emotion. "And if I don't?"

"Much harm will come to them, I assure you." He nodded to Julian. "And even more to him."

"I appreciate it," Julian snapped, sitting up on his elbows and wincing. "I feel so special."

"Shut up or you'll feel even more special, you arrogant little--"

"Gentanar," Marina spoke up quickly, slipping a protective arm around Julian's shoulders, "Why did you ask me to mind meld with you if you knew that I would discover that you were lying?"

Gentanar smiled proudly. "Our genius of a doctor figured that one out quite early on, didn't you, _Julian_?"

Julian was silent.

"Marina, you have no idea how attracted to you I am."

Marina felt suddenly nauseated.

"It's true. I want you not only to be my partner in greatness, but also my partner in…" He chuckled. "… other things."

"That is sickening," Marina replied. "I am not attracted to you… like that."

"But you _are_ attracted to me," Gentanar said smoothly. "I have felt that already. And I am certain that you _are_ attracted to me 'like that;' you just don't want to admit it." He turned quickly to face the door. "Well, I will leave the two of you alone. I must gather up my troops and my prisoners. I would rest if I were you. Tonight, I will show you my home." The door slid shut behind him.

Marina leaned against the wall, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. _I should have done something. I should have… But I can't now. It's too late…_

"Marina… Are you all right?" Julian asked, his voice a bit shaky.

Marina suddenly wrapped her arms around him, careful of his injuries that had been unhealed by Gentanar. "I'm sorry," she whispered, lying beside him on the pallet. "I'm so sorry. I hurt you. It was awful of me, the things I said and thought. You were right. Forgive me." She curled up against him, fighting down tears.

Julian kissed her and drew her head to his shoulder. "I do. I'm sorry, as well. We asked so much of you… Relied too much on you. It was too much pressure…"

Marina shook her head, feeling tears spring to her eyes. She had lost the battle against them. "No. I--I was so arrogant. I thought I could face anything. And now that I've faced Gentanar, now that I've seen his power…" She hiccupped against his shoulder. "I'm afraid. I've never been so afraid in my life--of him, of myself, for you."

Julian didn't say anything. He just let her be, gently stroking her hair and brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"You're the hurt one," Marina said suddenly. "I should be comforting you."

"You are," Julian said, smiling at her. "And Marina, I think you can heal me. Remember what Gentanar said? What a breatkthrough in medicine this would be!"

Marina sat up on one elbow, her hair coming loose from its tie and falling around her face, settling on Julian's chest. "You're right! I've got to give it a try!"


	23. Fanning the Flames

Chapter Twenty-three

Major Kira Nerys paced back and forth across the floor of the small room that Gentanar had stuffed her in, along with Dax, Sisko, and Odo. "We have to do something," she muttered to the others.

"What do you suggest, major?" Sisko asked from where he sat on the edge of a small cot. "We are heavily guarded."

"I know that. I just…" Kira sighed and stopped pacing, running her hands across her face. "I just wish we could do something, anything. I'm so--so worried--and not just about us. He has them out there, Marina and Julian. Who knows _what_ he's doing to them!"

"He, of course, meaning this Gentanar fellow," Odo spoke up quietly. He stood with his back to the door, arms crossed, staring at the wall.

"Yes. Who else?"

Odo turned slowly. "You remember what Garak told us about him?"

Kira nodded. "Yes. He is mentally unstable. He murdered his family years ago. And… he is far older than he appears to be."

Miles shook his head. "The man is setting himself up as--as some sort of god."

Sisko rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see that. He desires immortality, absolute power… He wants to be a god."

"Perhaps therein lies his weakness," Dax spoke up.

Kira frowned at her friend. "I don't understand."

"He _wants_ to be a god," Dax said, smiling slowly. "But he's not."

(LINE)

"This is amazing, Marina!" Julian leaped to his feet and held out his arms. "I feel--I feel fine! It's like nothing ever happened to me."

"You look like you feel perfect," Marina said.

Julian frowned as he looked down at her. "_You _don't." He knelt quickly beside his girlfriend. "Are you feeling all right? Your face looks pale."

Marina closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "I feel a bit nauseated."

"Just relax." Julian took her hand and stroked it. "You're probably quite worn out from healing me."

Marina half opened her eyes and smiled crookedly at him. "That's worth feeling like I have to throw up."

Julian settled beside her on the floor and put his arm around her, drawing her head to his shoulder. "This is an amazing discovery, Marina. You can heal people. That's--that's simply amazing."

"You keep saying that," Marina said groggily, closing her eyes and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Well it's true. _You're _amazing. And don't you worry. We'll find a way out of this."

Marina sighed, smiling. "I'm supposed to be the optimistic one, not you."

Julian kissed the top of her head. "I'll take over for you since you're not feeling well."

Marina nodded into his shoulder.

There was a sudden knock at the door.

Marina groaned and sat up straight. "Let me guess--our friend Gentanar."

Gentanar walked into the little building, smiling as usual. "Your friend, eh? That's the spirit. I'm so glad to see that you've come to your senses."

"I assume you've come to take us on your grand tour?" Julian spoke up.

"Indeed." Gentanar held the door open wide, revealing a dark, cold Catronis night. "If the two of you would come with me…" He bowed theatrically.

Julian stood, pulling Marina to her feet beside him.

"Oh, I noticed that you seem to be feeling better," Gentanar said to Julian.

"I am, thanks to Marina." He glanced at the young science officer worriedly. "She's a bit drained from the effort."

"But I'll be fine," Marina added.

"Initially, healing does drain one's strength," Gentanar said to her. "But after awhile, it isn't so bad. Of course, I do not practice healing much. Only on myself." He shrugged. "Never mind that. Let's go."

(LINE)

"Is that them, up ahead in that other hover car?" Dax asked from the back of the hover car she rode in.

Kira, who sat near the front of the vehicle, strained her eyes to see. "I can't tell. But I think so. No one else I know has hair that color. Just Marina. That looks like her braid."

"You can't sense her or anything?" Quark asked.

"No. Not this time." Kira sighed, annoyed. "I think Gentanar is blocking any psychogenotron activity except his own."

"But Marina is so powerful. Could she not break through his barriers?" Whorf spoke up.

"I believe Gentanar has leverage," Garak replied. "Julian is with them."

"I see," Whorf muttered.

"That girl would do anything for that man," Odo said quietly. "And I believe he would do the same for her."

"Indeed," said Dax. "That's part of being in love."

Everyone was quiet for awhile in the big hover car.

Kira turned to the Jem'Hadar piloting the vehicle. "Do you have any idea what Gentanar is planning to do?" she asked him.

The soldier shook his head. "All I know is that his plans will benefit the Dominion."

"Do you know what he's going to do to us? To Marina and Julian?" Miles spoke up.

"Be quiet. I have no time for your questions."

(LINE)

"There it is, my dear. My paradise."

Marina stood up in the hover car, pulling the throw Gentanar had given her around her shoulders. Up ahead, a tall shadow blocked out the lower stars. It was a huge, black stone house, a mansion, complete with columns and alien carvings, dimly lit by the glow of two large torches towering in the front yard.

"What do you think?" Gentanar asked, smiling back at her.

Marina sat quickly. "It's all right, I guess."

"Just all right?"

"It looks a little… imposing." Marina shivered, tucking the throw around her legs and Julian's. It was so cold.

"And you, Julian? What do you think of it?"

"I'd like to blast it in pieces with phaser beams," Julian said, smiling at his captor-host.

Gentanar frowned at him, then turned back to piloting the hover car. "We're almost there." He steered the vehicle into a small hangar near the mansion, followed by his Jem'Hadar and Cardassian pilots.

"How did the colonists not know you were here when you had _this _just sitting out here like that?" Marina exclaimed, motioning to the house.

"Standing, dear. Not sitting." Gentanar hopped down from the vehicle and reached to help Marina out. She ignored him and stepped down arm in arm with Julian.

"I don't believe you answered her question," Julian said.

Gentanar flashed him an annoyed look, then turned to Marina, smiling suddenly. "The colonists never explored this far. There were too many wild animals between here and Catronis 6."

"_Y our _wild animals, of course. The Vanfors and Fadroths and wolves." Marina crossed her arms and turned from him, looking out at the mansion.

Julian frowned. "Why Catronis?" he asked suddenly. "Why in the world would you, with your 'great' power, attempt to conquer some out of the way little colony like Catronis 6? Why do you want this planet, Gentnar?"

Gentanar snorted impatiently. "Attempt to conquer? My dear boy, I've already succeeded."

"Once again, you fail to answer our questions," Julian snapped.

Gentanar raised his hand as if to strike Julian.

Julian just looked at him, unblinkingly and unflinchingly.

Gentanar lowered his hand. "I caution you, doctor," he said quietly. "Do not treat me with such insolence."

"I'll treat you however I like," Julian retorted, crossing his arms. "You're nothing but a common criminal who thinks he's some sort of god. Just because you have mind powers, you think you're something special. Well let me tell you something--the skills don't make the man. That takes character, integrity, justice, and compassion--all of which you have _none _of."

Gentanar stared incredulously at Julian.

Marina reached to take the young doctor's hand.

"I'm not finished," Julian continued. "You have none of the traits that earn respect and honor. You are nothing that I admire, nothing that I owe allegiance to. You do nothing that merits praise. I _dis_respect you. I look down on you. Your mind powers do not impress me. I've seen many more impressive talents in the universe. Just look at Marina. She is just as skilled as you. But that's not why I care for her. I respect and love her for who she is. _She _has integrity and justice and compassion. And that means far more than power."

"Are you finished yet?" Gentanar asked. He looked a bit red in the face.

Julian held up one finger and opened his mouth. Then he nodded. "Yes."

Gentanar stared at him, icy blue eyes wide. "Well. I must say, you are very good at giving inspiring speeches. Very good."

Julian smiled and said smoothly, "You should see my Henry the Fifth."

"Unfortunately, everything you just said made me hate you even more than I already do."

"Good."

Gentanar worked his jaw angrily, not quite sure what to say. Marina could feel rage and hatred emanating hotly from him.

"Let's--let's go see the mansion," she spoke up quickly.

"Wait, my love…" Gentanar started.

"I'm not your love," Marina snapped. "Let's go!" She tugged on Julian's hand, glaring at Gentanar.

"I think I need to deal with this impertinent young fool first," the psychogenotron said, turning to Julian.

Marina stepped between them. "Hurt him again and I'll never be your love. I would rather die."

"Both of you tend to forget who is the captor here, who holds the power," Gentanar growled.

Before either of them could reply, a Cardassian soldier stepped up to Gentanar. "Sir."

"Yes?"

"We've moved the other prisoners to the basement level, sir."

"Very good then."

"What about--?" The soldier nodded toward Marina and Julian.

"Prepare the grand welcome," Gentanar ordered.

The Cardassian nodded, then hurried off to follow orders.

Gentanar turned to Marina and held out his hand. "Come. Your welcome awaits."

Marina shook her head. "I'm not holding your hand."

"Remember who I've got down in my basement. Remember who is standing right behind you."

Glaring at him, Marina placed her hand in his. "I'm doing this for them. Not for you. Not for me."

"Fine." He glanced at Julian. "Follow behind us. And don't try anything."

Julian said nothing. He just turned to Marina and nodded to her. _Be careful, _he sent, hoping she heard him.

She did. _I will. You, too. Your speech was wonderful._

_Thank-you. _

They smiled at each other.

"What? What's going on?" Gentanar asked.

Marina smiled. "You mean the almighty Gentanar couldn't eavesdrop?"

He ignored her, turning toward the hanger door and turning her with him. "Let us proceed to the mansion," he said.

They walked out of the hover car hangar onto a black stone walkway. As they walked, torches lining the walkway lit up around them. It had an impressive effect.

Finally, they came to the door, a huge, ornately carved piece of work. "Open," Gentanar called in a commanding voice.

The door swung open the old fashioned way, and Gentanar led Marina and Julian in. They were in a huge, marble-floored room with a chandelier above. Everything was in grays, blues, greens, and purples. Marina's favorite colors. The room was the mirror image of a ballroom from one of her holo-suite programs. And there was a crowd of people filling the room, mostly Cardassian and Jem'Hadar, but Marina thought she spotted a few other races in the mix as well.

"I present to you Lt. Marina Richardson," Gentanar announced loudly.

A cheer rose up from the crowd. Someone started chanting, "Marina! Marina! Marina!" Soon, the whole crowd had joined in.

It hit Marina like a heady rush. The room seemed to spin. She could fell chills running up her arms.

"We love you, Marina!" a voice cried out.

Marina turned to Gentanar. "What is going on?"

"I've told them all about you, my dear," he whispered in her ear, his voice low and soothing. "My people love you. You are… their hero."

"Oh." Marina's eyes were huge as they stared out over the crowd.

"Marina." Julian touched her shoulder from behind her. "Be careful."

As Marina stood there before the cheering crowd, dazed, Gentanar turned to smirk at Julian. _I believe I have found her weakness, doctor. Isn't there something in Marina's Bible about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? How they are evil and to stay away from them? Well, she deals quite well with the lust of the flesh. She's 'not that kind of girl.' The lust of the eyes is no problem to her. She desires neither money nor power. What she _does _desire is fame, recognition, to be loved and praised by all. Yes, it is the pride of life that is our mutual friend's weakness._

Julian scowled at him.

_Let me tell you my plan, Julian, _Gentanar continued to send. _I feed her desire for fame. I fan the flames of her pride. Then, I introduce her to other vices. I can _teach _her to want power. And we all know what power does to someone, don't we? After I've got the last two sins out of the way, I'll move on to the first. _His smile broadened. _The lust of the flesh. Then, she will totally be mine._

_Never, _Julian sent hotly. He turned from Gentanar and grabbed Marina's arm. "Marina, listen to me. Gentanar has terrible things planned for you. Remember who you are. You are a Starfleet officer. You have a strong faith. You are… you are the woman I love." His voice trembled. "Don't give in to him," he whispered. "This is all a big ploy to drag you further and further down, closer to _him._"

Marina turned to look at him, turning from the crowd. She had barely heard his voice for the sound of people calling her name. "Julian…"

"Did you _hear _me, Marina?" Julian cried. He almost had to shout to be heard. The cheers were growing louder.

"Yes. I heard you." She took his hand. "Don't worry. I won't--"

"Come, Marina." Gentanar took her by the arm. "It's time to go to your room."

Marina jerked her arm from his grip, struggling to regain her senses. "What of Julian? And the others? Why do you need them when all you want is me?"

"If I did not have them in my grasp, would you even be here right now?" Gentanar asked quietly, holding up a hand to silence the cheerers.

"No," Marina replied, looking down. "I would have tried to kill you long ago."

Gentanar signaled and two Jem'Hadar walked up to Julian and took his arms.

They were going to be separated.

"Marina," Julian said calmly, "Don't let him fool you. Don't forget yourself." He bit his lip. "And don't forget me."

"I won't," she whispered as they dragged him away.


	24. A Hollow World

Sorry it's been so long since I updated! The holidays were VERY busy! I'm sorry! Well, here's the next chapter. And hopefully, 25 won't be so long in coming.

Chapter Twenty-four

The room Gentanar had prepared for Marina was perfect. The floor was black and white marble, covered by a soft green rug under and around the bed. The bed had four posts and was draped in soft, sheer blue and green, with flowering vines twisting up the posts. There was a large vanity, white in color, like the bed, and a huge window with a window seat. An old-fashioned ceiling fan hung from the ceiling, green, blue, and silver streamers hanging from its blades and making a soft sound as they spun.

"Do you like it, my dear?" Gentanar asked, coming up behind Marina and placing his hands on her shoulders.

Marina quickly stepped away from him, moving deeper into the room. "It's beautiful. Like something out of a dream." She spun around to face her enemy. "But seeing how you know me so well, why would you even think that a beautiful room would draw me to your side? I'm not at all materialistic, you know."

"I know." Gentanar crossed his arms and leaned against the black and white papered wall. Somehow, the gesture reminded Marina entirely of Julian.

"Oh." Marina cleared her throat, nervous that Gentanar knew so much about her.

"There are other things I have created for you here that I am sure will have more influence over your decision to stay."

Marina laughed sharply. "My decision? As if I have a choice! I am a prisoner here! The only reason I have not killed you and all your men and escaped is the fact that you have my friends captive as well. If _they _are what you are talking about, then yes. You have something that will keep me here." She frowned thoughtfully. "But you said something you _created…_"

Gentanar smiled. "Yes. Something made by me."

Marina was silent.

"Just eaten up by curiosity, aren't you?" Gentanar asked, stepping closer to her.

Marina looked away from him, turning her eyes to the window, looking through its shiny panes to the darkness outside.

"There's a closet over there," Gentanar said quietly, motioning to the wall near the vanity. "Change into something pretty and knock on the door when you are ready. This is something I cannot explain. I would rather show you."

Marina crossed her arms and said nothing.

"Good evening, then." Gentanar bowed, then turned and left the room.

(LINE)

"Hello, Julian!" Miles greeted as two guards shoved his friend into the small, dark dungeon room.

"Hello, Miles." Julian squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Are we all here?"

"Yes, all of us," Odo replied. "In this tiny room…" He shot a glare at Quark and muttered under his breath, "Too close for comfort."

"All of us except for Lt. Richardson," Captain Sisko pointed out.

Julian nodded grimly. "Gentanar has special plans for her." He slammed his fist into his other palm and cursed. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Maybe there is," Kira spoke up. "We can't just give up! Gentanar must have _some _sort of weakness."

"He's arrogant as hell," Julian muttered darkly.

"Maybe he can't see beyond himself," Miles suggested. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Kira nodded. "I think we should at least try. We have to do _something._"

Dax glanced at Julian. "I hope Marina can hold her own out there without our backup. Do you think she'll be strong enough?"

"I hope so," Julian said quietly.

"She seems to be a very strong woman," Worf added. "I think we should trust her."

Suddenly, Julian remembered something. "Her hair clip!" he exclaimed.

Everyone looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" Miles asked.

"You know, the special clip I made for her. The one that blocks her brain waves from harming those who are allergic to them," Julian explained.

"Ah, yes. I remember." Miles frowned. "But… what does that have to do with anything?"

"Odds are, some of those Cardassians and Jem'Hadar out there are allergic to Marina's brain waves," Dax spoke up, catching on.

"Precisely!" Julian exclaimed.

"But what can we do about it?" Quark asked. "We're stuck in here, in case you didn't remember, doctor."

"Yes, but they won't keep us in here forever," Garak replied. "They'll have to bring us out eventually. And somehow we'll have to signal Marina to remove her hair clip."

"This sounds like a good plan," Sisko said.

(LINE)

Marina, dressed in a short, sleeveless dress of blue silk and blue high heels, knocked at the door of her prison.

It quickly opened, revealing the face of one of the Cardassians whom she had seen before. "He is waiting for you, lieutenant," the man said formally. "Follow me. And don't even think about trying to run." He turned his back to her and began to walk.

Marina followed him. Curious, she tried to reach into his mind with her own. But something was blocking her. Gentanar, she was sure. So she resigned herself to walking behind the guard, feeling almost sick at her helplessness. This was Gentanar's place, his stronghold. And she was trapped inside.

The Cardassian guard led Marina down long, marble hallways and up an elaborate curving staircase, finally coming to a stop in front of a tall, ebony door. "You may enter," he said to her, standing beside the door and gripping his phaser.

Marina hesitated. "Uhm, may I ask you something first?" She bent to rub one of her sore ankles. She had walked for far too long on heels!

The guard looked annoyed. "Go ahead."

"Why are you working for Gentanar, anyway?" Marina straightened and looked him in the eye.

"I don't work for him," the Cardassian protested. "I work for the Dominion."

Marina shook her head. "No. You don't. You're working for Gentanar."

"You don't understand how these things work," the guard snapped impatiently. "I do. Now be quiet and go inside. Now!"

"Gentanar is not working for the Dominion," Marina said, thinking that maybe she could get this man to help her. She wished that her mind powers weren't trapped by Gentanar's. "He's working for himself. And so are you. You just don't realize it. He's using you, using the Dominion. Why don't you see that?"

The Cardassian smiled crookedly. "You misunderstand the situation, Lt. Richardson," he said smoothly. "Gentanar is not using the Dominion. The Dominion is using him." He laughed quietly. "You psychogenotrons are all alike. Arrogant. Think you know everything. Well, you and Gentanar have made the same mistake in underestimating the Dominion. We have the entire situation under control. Gentanar works for _us._"

Marina raised her eyebrows. "Well. I'll remember that." She started toward the door, then stopped and turned to the guard. "But I think that you are making a mistake. The Dominion may be in control, but… Gentanar is vastly powerful. And so am I." Her voice lowered to just above a whisper. "You are making a mistake in underestimating psychogenotrons." Then she opened the door and stepped inside.

What she saw made her catch her breath. She stood in awe, not even noticing the door shut behind her. She was in a huge circular room with a domed ceiling. The room was bare of any furniture or decoration, but its design was elegant. Starlight shone through the skylights in the ceiling, twinkling on the black marble floor and displaying the inlay of silver. The stone walls were carved with figures of people in Grecian clothing.

But something was out of place. Marina frowned and peered closely at a section of the wall to her right. Contrasting sharply with the elegant and ancient style of the rest of the room was a panel of very modern computer technology. Marina took a step toward it, the clicking of her heels on the floor echoing through the domed room. She stop, startled momentarily by the sound. Then, shaking off the feeling of unease, she advanced toward the panel.

Suddenly, the room seemed to waver. Marina stopped walking, dizzy.

And there he was--Julian. He was standing right in front of her, blocking the panel of computer equipment from her view.

Marina blinked. "Julian! What are you doing here?"

He just smiled calmly at her.

"Looks just like him, doesn't it?" came a voice from behind her.

Marina spun around. "Gentanar. I--I didn't hear you come in."

"I've been here the entire time." The man smiled. "And I must say, you look gorgeous in that dress."

Then it hit her. "This is a holo-suite!"

"Excellent observation, lieutenant," Gentanar said, smiling crookedly and clapping. His claps echoed. "That is exactly what it is. I built it just for you."

"To keep me here… Is that it?" Marina put a hand on her hip. "This is just another one of your ploys to seduce me."

"You are very astute, milady--even without your mind powers." He stepped closer, stopping only when he was inches away from her.

"Back off," Marina said quietly, her eyes cold.

"I don't think I will," Gentanar said, reaching to touch her cheek.

Marina turned from him and crossed her arms. "All right, Gentanar. Why am I here? What do you want? Let's get this over with so I can go back to my cell."

"I just wanted to bring you here so I can show you what I can give you." The psychogenotron seemed unbothered by her coldness toward him.

"And what is that?"

"Anything your heart could desire," Gentanar whispered.

Marina shivered, a chill running up her body. _Anything my heart could desire…_

"So… what is it that you want?"

Marina spun on her captor. "I want to be back on Deep Space Nine with my friends, all of us unharmed. You wouldn't _dare_ give me that."

Gentanar just smiled. "Computer," he said, "Process Marina's request."

And suddenly, they were on Deep Space Nine, on the Promenade. Dax and Worf walked by, chatting with each other. Captain Sisko and Jake were laughing together about something. Odo was following Quark. Kira was strolling by with some Bajoran dignitary. Garak walked by and flashed her a sly smile. Then Julian and Miles walked up. Julian waved good-bye to Miles and joined Marina by the railing. Marina shivered again when he took her hand.

"It's not real," Marina said, pulling her hand from Julian's. "They're all fake." She turned to the only real person in the room besides herself. "Gentanar, this is a holographic world. I want the _real _Deep Space Nine. I want to be surrounded by my _real_ friends, my _real_ fellow crewmates."

Gentanar's face was expressionless, but Marina could tell that he was biting back annoyance. "Computer, stop the program."

Deep Space Nine and its crew disappeared, and once again, Marina was in the domed room with the skylights, the marble floor, and the computer panel.

"I give you what you want, and it's not enough," Gentanar said through his teeth. "I don't understand you."

"No, you don't." Marina walked past him toward the dark door. "I don't want to spend my life in a _hollow _world. I want something real. And you can't--no, you _won't_--give me that." She reached for the door handle. "So… now that you know that I won't take what you offer, are you going to kill me or let me go?" She turned to glare at him.

Gentanar smiled tightly. "Neither. I plan to keep you here--and your friends as well--until you see reason."

Marina shook her head. "I don't see it in you." She opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

Gentanar quickly followed her. "You once again forget who holds the power here," he said, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around to face him. "If you don't meet me here tomorrow morning at the time which I choose, one of your friends will pay the price."

Marina felt sick. Her spirit weakened. "All right." She dropped her eyes. "I'll be here."

"Good." Gentanar loosened his grip on her shoulder and reached to gently touch her cheek. "See you tomorrow." And he turned and left her with the guard.

"Back to your room with you, lieutenant," the Cardassian said.

"I know," Marina meekly replied. As she followed the guard back to her room, her hopelessness grew. How would she ever escape from this house of madness? Would she ever see her friends again? The ghost of the hologram Julian's touch still lingered on her hand. Would she ever be touched by the real Julian again?


	25. The Hair Clip

(Sorry it took me so darn long to update. The computer this chapter was on got fried, and it took forever to get it fixed. Sorry!

Ahem… Anyway… An old man in a gray robe runs across the screen carrying a sign that says "The End Is Near, But It's Not Here Yet!"… How I dread not writing this story anymore. sniff At least this isn't the very last chapter…)

Chapter Twenty-five

Marina did not sleep well that night, even though the bed was extraordinarily comfortable. Every time she closed her eyes, shadowy dreams filled her mind, dreams of illusions, of trying to find someone, something, and not succeeding. She welcomed the morning by leaping out of bed and running to the closet to change into something comfortable. As soon as she had changed into a pretty gray shirt and a pair of black pants, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Marina called.

Of course, it was Gentanar who came striding in, handsome as ever, arrogant as always. He made a sweeping bow, then straightened to smile at Marina, studying her form with his icy eyes. "Are you ready for breakfast, my dear?"

Marina looked around in mock confusion. "Who are you talking to? I don't see anyone you could call your 'dear' around here."

Gentanar stood akimbo and shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. So sarcastic this morning. You must not be a morning person."

"Actually, I am," Marina retorted. "There's something about this place that just makes me feel ill… and nauseous." She glared at him. "I think it's the company."

Gentanar was not phased. "I'm sure you will like the company at breakfast time. Come with me."

Marina slipped her socked feet into a pair of black shoes set beside the bed. Of course, they fit perfectly. "I'm coming. Do I have a choice?" She walked slowly to his side. "I thought we were going to meet in the holo-suite."

"We'll head over there after breakfast." He reached to place his hand at the small of her back, smiling crookedly. "Come on."

(LINE)

"I'm so worried about her." Kira, sitting at the long dining room table between Odo and Julian, peered at the arched doorway with narrowed eyes. "Who knows what she's gone through?"

Impulsively, Odo reached to take the Bajoran woman's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We have to trust that she'll be all right."

Kira turned to flash him a grateful smile. "I know. I'm just…" She sighed. "I hope we get a chance to talk to her. I'm so worried."

Odo noticed that she did not withdraw her hand from his. This pleased him immensely.

Julian raised his eyebrow at the sight of Kira and Odo holding hands, then turned to Miles, who sat on his left. "Somehow, we've got to signal to Marina to remove her hair clip," he whispered. He kept his eyes on the doorway, anxious to see Marina again, to know that she was well. If only he had known they would be separated, then maybe--

"Julian. Don't worry. I'm sure things will work out all right," Miles reassured him. "We've faced down lots of dangers before."

"I know, but…" Julian met his friend's eyes. "What if Keiko was involved? What if the woman you love was the one in the most danger?"

Miles frowned. "I see. That _would _make things different for me."

Suddenly, the two Cardassian guards under the arch stood at attention, and Gentanar swept into the room wearing black and gold and looking glorious. He was followed closely by Marina, who wore a blank expression on her face.

Gentanar pulled out a chair for Marina at the end of the table, then walked across the room to seat himself at the other end.

Marina's eyes scanned the occupants of the chairs--a few Cardassians, a Vorta, some Jem'Hadar--until she found her crewmates. Her eyes lit up when they settled on Julian, and she gave him a quick sad smile.

Immediately, Julian motioned to his hair and made a move as if removing a hairclip.

"She's got to get that," Garak muttered.

"It's our only hope right now," Sisko said.

There was an awkward moment of silence and stillness. The Deep Space Nine crew waited anxiously, hoping that Marina understood what Julian was trying to tell her. Gentanar just kept his eyes adoringly on Marina, and all the Dominion troops seemed utterly bored.

Marina smiled suddenly at Gentanar. "Well?" she spoke up. "Where's the food?"

"It should be arriving shortly," he replied, smiling brightly. "I'm so glad your mood has improved. I knew seeing your crew would do that to you."

"Indeed. So… what's on the menu?" Marina asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Gentanar rattled off a list of various foods from numerous cultures.

"Fascinating. I'm sure there's something for everyone." Marina continued to play with her hair. "But I'm not sure I recognized one of the dishes. The name sounded Romulan… The one that you mentioned after the human food…"

As Gentanar went into detail about the dish, Marina inconspicuously slipped the clip out of her hair and set it on the table beside her plate.

"She did it," Dax whispered to Worf.

The Klingon grunted. "Of course she did."

"Now when do those Dominion idiots start falling out?" Quark whispered to Julian, leaning across the table.

"What are you talking about down there?" Gentanar called out suddenly, his voice echoing through the dining room.

"He was making a comment about the food," Julian said quickly. "You see, he is a bar tender."

"Ah." Gentanar seemed satisfied and continued smiling at Marina across the long table.

Soon, servants of various races, mostly races that fell under Dominion rule, brought out the dishes. As the meal began, an uncomfortable silence fell. Marina was not even sure she could eat. She was so nervous her stomach felt queasy. But occasional quick smiles from Julian renewed her strength, and she was able to finish the food.

Most everyone had finished their meal when the first Cardassian fell out of his chair. His comrades jumped to their feet and bent over him.

Gentanar stood up. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice sharp and taut.

"I don't know," one of the Cardassians replied. Marina recognized him as the one she had spoken to, the one who had led her down the hall the day before. "He's holding his head and he won't speak."

"Get him to the infirmary, Taron," Gentanar ordered.

The Cardassian nodded and with the help of another man, was able to carry his fallen comrade out of the dining hall.

Gentanar sat down slowly, wearing a strained smile. "Unfortunate."

Suddenly, one of the Jem'Hadar grabbed his head, wincing.

"Another one, sir?" the Vorta remarked.

"Get him out, as well," Gentanar snapped, pointing to the doorway. "To the infirmary."

The Jem'Hadar was escorted from the room by a few of his companions.

"What's going on?" Marina asked innocently.

"Yeah, I'm kind of scared to touch the food," Kira added.

Gentanar sighed impatiently. "I shall have to have the food examined. In the meantime, this meal is over." He stood. "Take the Federation officers back to their cell," he ordered his remaining men. "Lt. Richardson and I shall go to the holo-suite." He started toward the arched doorway, then stopped suddenly and spun around, looking hard at Marina.

Behind him, one of the doorway guards fell to the ground, groaning and holding his head.

Gentanar raised his eyebrows. "Marina?" He did not even have to give orders. Some other Cardassians carried the third victim from the room.

Marina copied his gesture of surprise. "Something strange is going on," she said, holding back a smile of triumph and walking to his side. She turned to look at Julian and gave him a half smile, mouthing, "I love you."

Julian nodded. _I love you, too. Be careful. Now that some of the guards are down, we're going to try to breakout. _

_Good. Be careful. Oh! And I think maybe that Taron guy is having second thoughts about Gentanar. Maybe we've got something there._

_Good._

"Marina? Are you coming?" Gentanar asked impatiently.

"Yes." Marina turned to face him. From the look on his face, she knew that he realized that she had been conversing with Julian in her mind. To distract him, she reached out and took his hand. "Lead me there."

Gentanar raised one eyebrow. "All right." He smiled. "Let us go."


	26. Dancing with Danger

Sorry that, once again, it took me forever to get the next chapter out. Since I wasn't working on this one for so long, I started so many other projects, so I'm working on those as well as this story. Anyway, I'm glad I finally got back around to this story! Thanks so much to anyone who is still reading and reviewing!

Chapter Twenty-six

Fortunately for Marina, not long after her session in the holo-suite with Gentanar had begun, it was brought to an end. A Cardassian messenger interrupted the romantic Venetian scene just before Gentanar could kiss Marina in the gondola.

"Sir, three more men have taken ill," the messenger informed the psychogenotron leader. "The Vorta wishes to speak to you."

Gentanar cursed under his breath. "All right, all right. Tell them I'm coming." He turned to Marina as the Cardassian exited. "Marina, I sincerely apologize." He reached to trace her jaw line with his finger, which made her feel sick, though she did not show it. "Just when you were beginning to warm up to me." Then he frowned. "Though I suspect it is only for the sake of your friends."

Marina managed a weak smile. "Go with the messenger," she said. "I'll wait here."

Gentanar shrugged. "All right. There's a guard at the entrance. Feel free to play around with the holo-suite controls. I believe I've left some blank program rods near the controls. I know you love writing programs, so why don't you write us one while I'm gone?"

"All right. I'll work on that." This time, Marina's smile was easy and genuine. This was an unexpected opportunity!

As soon as Gentanar was out of the holo-suite, Marina called, "Computer, end program!" and ran to the controls. Quickly, she found the program rod with the Julian hologram on it.

(LINE)

When Gentanar returned to the holo-suite, he was surprised to find Marina looking quite calm and even a bit smug. He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "What are you smiling about, Marina?" he asked suspiciously.

Marina looked up. "Computer, bring up the ballroom program."

Instantly, the room was transformed into a marble-floored ballroom, complete with a sparkling chandelier and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Gentanar crossed his arms and studied Marina carefully. "What's going on?"

She gave him a slow smile and walked towards him, hands clasped behind her back, hips swaying rhythmically. "I've been thinking."

The blonde man stroked his chin. "And you've reached a conclusion in this short of a time?"

"Reetan… Can I call you by that name?"

He smiled. "Absolutely."

She barely managed to hold her act at that one. "Reetan, I've been thinking about this from the very start. Especially since that crowd was… screaming my name." She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, hoping that she wasn't overdoing it. "As you know, my weakness is my pride." She quickly opened her eyes. "And perhaps…" She grinned seductively--at least, she hoped it was seductively. "Perhaps I've discovered a new weakness."

Gentanar was intrigued now. He stepped closer to her, almost so close that their toes were touching.

"You, Reetan," Marina breathed. _Gods, I feel like an idiot. _"You have become my weakness."

The other psychogenotron smiled, his arms sliding around her waist. "I like the sound of that."

"So do I," she replied, faking a sultry smile. _Thank God I don't have a weak stomach, or I would be throwing up right now… _

Gentanar pulled her close and bent down to kiss her, but before he did so, she pulled away and slipped from his grasp, quickly turning her back to him. He frowned. "What is it?"

"I--I have to say good-bye to Julian before I can fully give my heart to you," Marina said quickly. _Though I don't think it's my heart you're after, you lunatic…_

Gentanar frowned, a bit puzzled. _Women. Even if I could read her mind right now, I'm sure she would confuse me. _"All right. And how do you want to do that?"

Marina spun quickly to face him, keeping her face expressionless. "I want you to bring him here. We'll have--we'll have a ball. A party. Here in this room. And I'll dance with him and tell him good-bye. Then you'll let him go--him and all the rest of the crew of Deep Space Nine. And then…" She managed a smile. "Then I'll dance with you. And I'll be yours. And you'll be mine."

Gentanar smiled slowly. "Ah, Marina. You're such a romantic." He chuckled. "I should know. I've been inside of that pretty head of yours, inside of your sweet dreams…"

She almost didn't hold the smile that time.

(LINE)

The Jem'Hadar guards escorting Julian toward the holo-suite did not notice the smug smirk on his face, or they would have been immediately suspicious. Neither did they notice that they were being shadowed by one of their own, a certain Cardassian named Taron. And of course, they did not notice the phaser tucked inconspicuously into the pocket of the doctor's dress coat…

(LINE)

Marina stood by Gentanar's side in the grand ballroom as the antebellum dancers swirled before them. She herself was clad in a deep green hoop-skirted dress of silk, edged in black lace with a wide, shoulder-baring neckline. She absently waved her black fan with a black-gloved hand. Where was Julian? She tapped the fan nervously in her other palm.

"Calm down, my dear. Saying good-bye is never easy, but with me at your side, it will not be hard," Gentanar whispered in her ear.

"Reetan…" Her voice was shaky, and there were tears in her eyes. "It will still be hard."

He frowned down at her.

"You are wonderful," she added quickly. "But… good-byes have never been an easy thing for me."

"There, there, Marina." He patted her back gently, then slid his hand up to the back of her neck, caressing her bare neck and shoulders.

Marina closed her eyes, shuddering inwardly at his touch. He was a handsome man, and he knew how to romance a woman, but… He was so twisted, so wholly selfish.

"What were you saying to him at breakfast, my dear?" Gentanar asked casually.

Marina's blood froze to red ice in her veins. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly, turning to look at her handsome captor.

"I sensed that you were saying… something." Gentanar's face was a study of nonchalance. "It's strange, my dear, but I keep getting these feelings that you are… stronger than you were before. Something happened at breakfast. I'm not sure what it was." He smiled crookedly. "Why I think it happened at the same time that some of my men started getting sick."

Marina swallowed. The worried look she wore took no acting. "It must have been the food, Reetan. Perhaps it gave me strength, somehow _stealing _strength from your men." She took his hand and squeezed it, hoping he wouldn't notice how cold her hands were. "I'm really concerned about the food here…"

Suddenly, the door to the "ballroom" opened. In stepped Julian.

Marina turned toward him, but Gentanar jerked her back around to face him, gripping her upper arms strongly. "Dance with him a few times, Marina," he whispered intensely. "Tell him good-bye. But do not forget that you are _mine._" He let her go, reaching to adjust his collar. He smiled again. "I hope he doesn't mind cold hands. How does that saying go? Cold hands… warm heart?"

"Yes. That's how it goes," Marina said quietly, looking away from him.

"Go to him, Marina. Say good-bye."

She walked away from her captor, dodging dancing couples, her high-heeled shoes tapping rather loudly on the beautiful marble floor.

"Marina!" He ran to meet her halfway, taking her hands as soon as they were close.

"Julian, I've got to keep up my act. You need to look sad, as if… As if we are saying good-bye."

They swept out onto the floor, dancing.

"We _are_ going to say good-bye," Julian said quietly, glancing over Marina's shoulder. "To him. To Gentanar."

"Julian, when I go to adjust the temperature controls, I'll send you instructions," Marina whispered in his ear. They were dancing very close now. She reveled in the feel of his warmth.

"All right," he whispered back. He couldn't help it. He had to kiss her. He brushed his lips lightly against her ear. "Your ear is cold," he said quietly. "So are your hands. What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid," she said shakily.

"Don't be," he gallantly replied. "I'm here, Marina. I won't let him hurt you."

"That's not what scares me," Marina said, meeting the eyes of the man she loved. "I'm afraid that he'll hurt _you_."

"Marina--"

Loudly, she said, "My, but it's hot in here!" She drew back from Julian, taking his hand and pulling him away from the dance floor. She glanced at Gentanar, who was watching her with those pale blue eyes. "Reetan, darling, I'm going to adjust the temperature in this room. It's getting hot, don't you think? Then I'll finish this dance with Julian." She turned to the doctor, instructing him with her mind.

His long-lashed eyes widened at her plan, then he smiled slowly. He bowed over her hand, kissing it, then stepped back from her.

Feeling cold and shaky, Marina made her way to the control panel. She glanced nervously at Gentanar, keeping a false smile pasted on her lips.

He nodded to her, not realizing what she was doing with her fingers.

Her long, slender fingers beat out a rhythm on the holo-suite controls. Lastly, she turned down the temperature in the room. _I turn this down much lower, and our breath will cloud up the room. _She stepped back from the panel, flashed a sappy smile at Gentanar, and called out, "Julian?"

(LINE)

Gentanar watched Marina spin around the ballroom with Julian, barely able to conceal his envy. But after tonight, he would not have to conceal it. After tonight, it would be the scrawny little doctor who would be feeling envy. And not only envy, but also fear and pain and loneliness.

Gentanar smiled. He had no intention of letting Marina's friends go free. No, he would keep them as prisoners. And he would make Marina forget all about them…

He fidgeted with his coat buttons impatiently. This was about the longest good-bye he had ever seen. It was time for it to end. He made his way across the floor with purpose, shoving aside the holographic dangers.

(LINE)

Marina felt someone approaching. A very familiar someone. "Julian, Reetan is coming. I'm afraid this is the last time I'll ever see you. So… I have to say…" She glanced sideways at the approaching psychogenotron, then turned back to her dancing partner. "Good-bye."

"That's enough." Gentanar tapped the shoulder of the man he envied. "I'm cutting in." He turned to Marina, grabbing her into his arms.

"Actually, _I'm _cutting in," came a voice from behind him.

Gentanar looked at Marina. She was smirking. Then he turned to look behind him.

There stood Dr. Julian Bashir, aiming a phaser at Gentanar's face.

"What is going on?" Gentanar exclaimed, for there, beside Julian, was _another _Julian, staring blankly ahead.

"My girlfriend is an excellent holo-suite programmer," Julian explained smoothly, one eyebrow cocked. "You made a huge mistake in leaving her here by herself. She programmed _me _into this ballroom. And while she was dancing with my double (whom she activated while turning down the temperature), I managed to hide myself--and draw my phaser. You were so attentive toward Marina and her dancing partner that you never even noticed me."

Gentanar was silent for a moment.

"Computer, deactivate ballroom program," Marina called.

The glorious ballroom and its colorful denizens faded away, leaving Marina, Julian, and Gentanar standing in a cold, bare room.

"You are really something, Marina," Gentanar said at last, his voice thick with barely controlled emotion. "You are an amazing woman. I consider myself an amazing man, you know… I thought that we made an excellent match."

"_Julian _is the amazing man in this room, Gentanar," Marina said proudly, lifting her chin. "I could never leave him for you."

"That's my girl," said Julian.

Gentanar spun to face Julian. "_Your_ girl, is she?" He pressed his lips together, focusing on the young doctor.

Suddenly, Julian cried out, doubling over, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Stop it!" Marina screamed. "Stop it!" She hadn't planned for this, hadn't thought that her enemy would be so daring.

"Get back, Marina," Gentanar answered, still focused on Julian.

Julian had collapsed to his knees, his arms wrapped around his body, his head hanging.

"Leave him alone!" Marina shouted. She reached out with her mind, striking out at Gentanar's presence, trying to distract him from Julian.

Gentanar gave a cry of surprise at her assault. He sent one last burst of power toward the doctor, satisfied when Marina's friend crumpled to the floor, then spun on Marina. "You insolent wench! I will _make _you mine! You will never escape me!" He lashed out at her with his mind.

Frantically, Marina blocked his outburst of energy with her mind. While her mind was so occupied, she had forgotten about her body.

Gentanar took advantage of this, grabbing her upper arms, his strong fingers biting into her skin.

Marina yelped, letting down her guard.

The aggressive psychogenotron burst into her mind, taking control. Using his mind inside hers, he held her still as he bent his head and kissed her lips.

It was a terrible kiss, Marina thought. Hard and rough and selfish and painful.

Gentanar jerked her into his arms, controlling every movement of her body that had once been voluntary. He forced her to wrap her arms around him, to bend her head back, to part her lips to receive his second kiss.

Inside her mind, Marina desperately fought him. She managed to release his hold on her long enough to pry one arm free from him. With it, she grabbed his chin and shoved his face back before he could take a third kiss from her.

Gentanar laughed and grabbed her arm. "Just give in, Marina. You can't defeat me. You may have a wealth of power, but you are not nearly as experienced as I am. And my physical strength far outweighs your own…" He gave a low chuckle at this.

"You're right," Marina gasped out as his arms tightened around her waist. "But there's one thing I have that you don't…"

"What is that?" he asked, leaning in for another kiss.

"Julian."

Gentanar frowned and drew back from her, then abruptly collapsed to the floor.

And there stood Julian, panting, holding one hand to his side. In the other hand, he held his phaser. It was pointed to the place where Gentanar had once stood.

"Julian…"

"Marina, I'm fine," Julian said. Then he staggered to his knees, the phaser clattering to the floor.

Marina flung herself to the floor beside him, wrapping her arms around him, shaking with fear for him. She let out a sigh of relief when his arms came around her, weakly, but they came. "Oh, Julian. I thought he'd killed you! Then I saw you there behind him, and--"

"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay now." He buried his face in her neck, closing his eyes.

"Did you kill him?"

"No. Just stunned him."

"How bad are you hurt?"

"Not bad. He just brought back some old wounds."

"Let me heal you."

"Not how. I just want to hold you."

"But you're hurt--"

"It doesn't bother me. Mind over matter, and all that."

They clung tightly to each other, exhausted and trembling, but alive and triumphant, rocking back and forth gently.

That was how the others found them when they burst into the holo-suite, victorious in overthrowing Gentanar's weakened and confused forces.

Miles started to rush forward, but Kira shook her head. "Let them be alone for awhile," she said quietly. Somehow, she had managed to once again be beside Odo, holding his hand.

"She's right. Let's get out of here and let them have a little romance," Dax whispered, grinning.

(LINE)

Still clinging to Julian, Marina reached into the doctor's mind, touching it gently with her own. Ignoring his protest, she proceeded to take over the damage control center, sending healing signals to his injuries. In a very short time, he was completely healed.

"Thank-you," Julian said quietly, drawing back from her and taking her face between his hands.

"I should be thanking you," Marina said, also speaking quietly. "If you hadn't stunned him when you did…"

He silenced her with a kiss. She couldn't help but compare it with Gentanar's. By contrast, Julian's kiss was tender, smooth, sweet, and oh so seductive.

"I love you," he whispered when he took his lips from hers.

She couldn't help but pick up on the silent longing emanating from Julian. "I love you, too," she said softly, her eyes large and searching.

"What?" he asked, tilting his head sideways.

She shrugged, blushing.

"Are you reading my thoughts again, my love?" he asked, his hands sliding gently down her cheeks and neck to rest on her shoulders.

"Not thoughts this time. Feelings." She ducked her head almost shyly.

He didn't have to be a mind-reader to pick up on her blush. He grinned crookedly. "I suppose I'll have to marry you, then, won't I?"

She looked up, eyes shining. "Oh, Julian! Do you mean it?"

"Yes." He kissed her. "I do."

(A/N: One more chapter to go! Love is in the air!)


	27. Together

Chapter Twenty-seven

Deep Space Nine loomed onto the view screen, a welcome sight to all aboard the _Defiant._ Well, perhaps not to Reetan Gentanar. He sat under close watch on the bridge, his mind powers blocked by the little silver hair clip medically taped to his temple, his hands locked in cuffs.

Sisko glanced back at the man, smiling grimly. Here was a very important prisoner to the Federation.

"He's not going anywhere, sir," said Kira from nearby.

"I know." The captain turned to face her. "I just don't trust him."

"No one should," Kira said acidly.

Further back in the ship sat Marina and Julian, hands clasped, heads together.

"We made it," Julian whispered to her. "We're home."

"Yes." Marina smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Together, we are home."

Julian grinned lopsidedly. "That's not what I meant, but I'll take that, too." He kissed her hand, suddenly serious, his eyes locked with hers. "Lt. Richardson, I would follow you to the ends of the world, and even that would be home."

"How original," Marina teased.

He gave her an exasperated look.

"But sweet," she added quickly, kissing his lips softly.

He couldn't be annoyed with her after that.

(LINE)

"Where's Marina?" asked Julian as he rushed to the usual table in Quark's bar.

Dax, Whorf, and Miles all looked up at him.

"Well?"

"I think she's in the holo-suite, Julian," Miles said. "But I don't know if--"

"Thank-you," Julian called, rushing off. "I'm going in there, Quark," he added as he passed the Ferengi.

Quark shook his head. "I hope he doesn't intend to use that teddy bear as a weapon," he muttered. "Marina's battle simulators are brutal."

(LINE)

The sky was so beautiful. The clouds were that dark bluish-gray that made the green of leaves stand out so well. There was a low rumble of thunder from somewhere far away. And the wind--it was light, but she could feel it.

Marina closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. It had been a full day since she and her friends had returned to the space station, she was now Julian's fiancée, and Gentanar had been turned over to the proper authorities.

Marina let out her breath. Everything had happened so fast, and now it was over…

"Marina?" called a familiar voice.

She opened her eyes. He was standing over her, looking concerned. "I'm fine, Julian," she said quietly. She started to sit up from the grass.

"No. Stay there." He smoothly lowered himself to the ground and laid next to her, looking up at the clouds. "What are you thinking?"

That question always made her nervous. She was never quite sure how to answer it. "Just… thinking…" Instead of explaining, she sent him her thoughts mind to mind, turning her head to look at him.

He met her eyes, absorbing her thoughts. His lips curved in a gentle smile. "Ah. So that's what you're thinking."

"Yes," she whispered.

For a moment, they laid there on the grass, simply looking at each other.

Then Julian said, "You're not avoiding me, are you?"

"No," she replied.

"If you want to be alone, I'll leave you," he said.

"No," she replied.

"All right." He turned his head to look up at the cloudy sky. "It's beautiful. I can tell you made it."

Marina still had her eyes on him. "Thank-you," she said quietly.

Julian rolled over onto his stomach, sitting up on his elbows, looking at his fiancée. "Marina, I love you…" He reached out to touch her hair, which was spread out about her, long and golden and silky. "So very, very much. And I can't--I can't bear to see you with that sad look on your face. What's the matter?"

"You remember when Gentanar first brought me into his castle? When that crowd was screaming my name?"

"Yes."

"I almost gave in." She looked away from him. "I almost… gave in. I nearly gave you up--you and all the others--for fame and glory and all that."

"I know."

She turned back to him, dark eyebrows raised. "And you still tried to save me. You _did_… save me. If you hadn't shot Gentanar when you did…"

"Of course I still tried to save you," Julian replied. "I love you. And you saved _my _life." He scooted closer to her, leaning over her, his eyes wandering over her face, then returning to her eyes. "You don't need to feel guilty. You didn't give in, now, did you? You were only tempted to. And being tempted isn't a sin."

She finally smiled at him. "You're right. If being tempted was a sin, everyone would be sinning all the time."

He gave her a roguish smile. "Yes. I know _I _would. You're such an natural, involuntary temptress."

Marina laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "I just love you, Julian Bashir!"

"Good--because you're going to marry me," he said, then he kissed her.

"I do believe I am," she agreed.

Julian reached behind him. "Here. I brought you something."

"Nupenberry!" Marina exclaimed, grabbing the bear and rolling onto her side. "He's got arms!"

"You have to promise me you won't tear those off," Julian reprimanded with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I was asleep when I did it!" Marina exclaimed in mock hurt. "I cannot be held responsible!"

Julian bit his lip and looked down, then looked back up at her. "Well, now I'll be with you when you sleep. I'll make sure you don't rip his arms off again."

Marina took his face between her hands and kissed his lips. "Mmmmm. I'm glad I'm marrying you." She slid close to him, pressing her back against his chest, resting her head under his chin. "See how well you cheer me up when I'm depressed?"

He was quiet, then, just holding her in his arms.

Suddenly, music began to play. They both sat up, Marina with a frown on her face.

"I didn't put music in this program!" she exclaimed.

Julian stood, then reached to help her stand beside him. "It's nice music," he remarked.

"Yes. It is." Marina's frown faded.

Julian held out his hand, smiling crookedly. "Would you like to dance?"

"Yes. I would." Marina took his hand, and they began to dance to the lovely music.

On the other side of the holo-suite, Dax and Kira laughed quietly.

"Great idea, Kira! I wouldn't have thought you had it in you!" Dax whispered.

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think I was a romantic, you mean."

"That's not what I meant!" Dax protested. She grinned mischievously. "I mean, you and Odo--"

"Stop it!" Kira swatted at her friend. "Come on. Let's leave them alone to dance."

(LINE)

Julian walked Marina back to her room, feeling like the most fortunate man in the world (blessed, his fiancée would say). "Good-night, my love," he said, bending to kiss her cheek.

"Good-night, Julian," she replied. There was a bright sparkle in her eye. "If you see Kira and Dax before I do, thank them for the music."

"So it was them, was it?"

"Yes. I sensed them in the holo-suite."

"Rather nice of them to do that."

"Yes. Don't forget that you're meeting my parents tomorrow."

"Of course I wont forget."

"Good." Marina stood there in her doorway, looking up at him, as if waiting for something.

Julian crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side. "Are you waiting for another kiss?"

Marina blushed. "Yes."

"Here, then." He gently lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly. Soon, the kiss had evolved, and he was standing with his arms wrapped tightly around her, hers around his neck, and they were kissing passionately.

"I wish we were married now," she whispered in his ear as his lips caressed her throat.

"Mmm. Me, too." He pulled back slowly from her, taking her hands and kissing each one. "Good-night, Marina."

"Good-night." She squeezed his hands, then gently let them go, her eyes following his slender form until he could be seen no longer.

(LINE)

Julian liked Marina's parents immediately. Her half-Vulcan father was a rather dignified man, but a friendly one. He had black hair, shot with silver at the temples, and blue eyes, and his ears were slightly pointed like his daughter's. Julian also noticed that they had the same nose. Her mother was a warm, sweet woman with flaming red hair and her daughter's green eyes. Both of them seemed very close to their daughter, and very protective as well.

"So you're a doctor, are you?" Varak Richardson asked Julian as they all entered Marina's quarters.

"Yes. I am," said Julian. "I love my work."

The two men started a rather technical conversation, leaving Marina to talk to her mother, Brianne, alone.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Marina whispered as she led Brianne to the replicator.

"He _is _rather nice." Brianne smiled at her daughter. "I can tell that he loves you."

"Do you sense it, too?"

Brianne laughed. "I don't have to. The way he looks at you tells me enough." She leaned to whisper in Marina's ear. "And he's very handsome, too."

(LINE)

Marina looked around the table, smiling contentedly. Julian was beside her, talking with Miles. Kira, across from her, was talking to Odo. Dax was giving Jake advice on his story. Worf was watching his wife with the Klingon version of a smile…

Everything was right.

And she had a place where she belonged.

Julian turned to her, smiling. "You look happy," he whispered.

"I am," she replied. "Everything's right now."

He kissed her cheek. "I don't know about _everything_, but there's one thing that I'm sure is right." He linked his fingers with hers and whispered, "Us."

He was right, of course, as usual, as always. Marina grinned at him, relishing in the feel of his love, in the flow of his thoughts with hers. They had been through so much, and yet here they were, alive and in love.

They had come through the fire together, and it had made them stronger.

THE END

(A/N: And that, my friends, is the end! But don't worry, there will be a sequel! Keep your eyes opened for it! Marina and Julian's adventures are not over yet!)


End file.
